To convert grams of packed brown sugar into teaspoons, multiply by 0.21818182: one gram comes to 0.21818182 teaspoons. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — packed brown sugar measures 0.92989 g per mL. That ratio, 92.99%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level teaspoon of packed brown sugar weighs 4.583 g. A kitchen scale that reads to the nearest gram is therefore working at roughly 21.8% resolution on a single spoonful, which is why measuring spoons beat scales below about 5 g and lose to them above it. Three teaspoons make a tablespoon, so the same spoonful is 13.75 g if the recipe scales up.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.455% of a cup of packed brown sugar, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 2.273 cups, and a 1 kg pack 4.545.
How the figure is arrived at: Firmly packed, which is the US recipe convention. Spooned in loosely it is closer to 145 g per cup.
The formula
grams- The amount of packed brown sugar you are converting, in grams
0.218181818182- Teaspoons per gram for packed brown sugar, from its density of 0.92989 g/mL
teaspoons- The equivalent quantity in teaspoons
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in grams.
- It is multiplied by 0.218181818182, the teaspoons-per-gram figure for packed brown sugar.
- The result appears in teaspoons, with a second reading in mL beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
50 g of packed brown sugar in teaspoons
A recipe calling for 50 g of packed brown sugar needs 10.9091 teaspoons on the scale. The arithmetic is 50 × 0.21818182 = 10.909091, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 5.45455 teaspoons.
150 g of packed brown sugar in teaspoons
A recipe calling for 150 g of packed brown sugar needs 32.7273 teaspoons on the scale. The arithmetic is 150 × 0.21818182 = 32.727273, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 16.3636 teaspoons.
500 g of packed brown sugar in teaspoons
Take 500 g of packed brown sugar: 500 × 0.21818182 gives 109.091 teaspoons. Doubling the batch takes it to 218.182 teaspoons, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many teaspoons are in 1 g of packed brown sugar?
One gram of packed brown sugar is 0.21818182 teaspoons. Half that quantity is 0.109091 teaspoons and double it is 0.436364 teaspoons, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of packed brown sugar not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Packed brown sugar has a density of 0.92989 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 220 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 16.6 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. Handling changes the weight of a cup of packed brown sugar by roughly 20% — about 22 g either side of 220 g — because firmly packed, which is the US recipe convention. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of packed brown sugar the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of packed brown sugar weighs 0.97 oz, so the two readings differ by 3%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of packed brown sugar would weigh 232.47 g instead of 220 g — 12.5 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
At this size the spoon wins. One teaspoon of packed brown sugar is 4.583 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 21.8% resolution on that — a measuring spoon is the more accurate instrument below about 5 g, which is why spice quantities are still written in spoons.
How much does 2 tsp of packed brown sugar weigh?
2 tsp of packed brown sugar comes to 9.1667 g, or 9.1667 grams. This page runs that calculation in reverse — enter a weight and it returns the volume — and the teaspoons-to-grams page does it in the direction the question is usually asked.
Packed brown sugar in grams and teaspoons
| Grams | Teaspoons | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 g | 1.09091 tsp | 1.090909091 |
| 10 g | 2.18182 tsp | 2.181818182 |
| 25 g | 5.45455 tsp | 5.454545455 |
| 50 g | 10.9091 tsp | 10.90909091 |
| 100 g | 21.8182 tsp | 21.81818182 |
| 125 g | 27.2727 tsp | 27.27272727 |
| 150 g | 32.7273 tsp | 32.72727273 |
| 200 g | 43.6364 tsp | 43.63636364 |
| 250 g | 54.5455 tsp | 54.54545455 |
| 300 g | 65.4545 tsp | 65.45454545 |
| 500 g | 109.091 tsp | 109.0909091 |
| 1000 g | 218.182 tsp | 218.1818182 |
Based on 220 g per cup of packed brown sugar. One gram of packed brown sugar is 0.21818182 teaspoons.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 220 g | 7.76 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 13.75 g | 0.485 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 9.167 g | 0.323 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 4.583 g | 0.162 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 3.438 g | 0.121 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.292 g | 0.0808 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.146 g | 0.0404 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.5729 g | 0.0202 oz | 0.6161 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncooked white rice | 185 g | 6.526 oz | 0.7819 |
| Uncooked brown rice | 190 g | 6.702 oz | 0.8031 |
| Dried lentils | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 7.055 oz | 0.8454 |
| Arborio rice | 200 g | 7.055 oz | 0.8454 |
| Dried chickpeas | 200 g | 7.055 oz | 0.8454 |
| Packed brown sugar (this page) | 220 g | 7.76 oz | 0.9299 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.