One cup of water is 8.324655 ounces, so converting cups of water to ounces means multiplying by 8.324655. That factor is specific to this ingredient — it comes from its density, not from any relationship between the two units.
The density behind that figure is 0.99751 g per mL, against 1.00 for water. A cup of water weighs 236.6 g and a cup of water weighs 236 g, so this ingredient is 99.75% as heavy as the same volume of water — the single fact the whole page rests on.
A cup of water is 236 g when it is measured the standard way, but how it gets into the cup changes the answer: between about 234.8 g and 238.4 g covers the range from lightly spooned to firmly packed. That 1% spread is larger than most of the adjustments recipes fuss over, and it disappears entirely the moment the ingredient is weighed instead.
One cup of water is 8.325 oz. US kitchen scales usually step in eighths of an ounce, which is 3.54 g — around 1.5% of a cup of this ingredient, so the scale is precise enough for a full cup and coarse for a spoonful. That is why recipes mix the two systems: ounces for the bulk, spoons for the small amounts.
The condition this weight assumes: The reference case. A US cup is 236.6 mL and water is 1 g per mL, so the two numbers are the same and every other ingredient can be read against it.
The formula
cups- The amount of water you are converting, in cups
8.3246550201- Ounces per cup for water, from its density of 0.99751 g/mL
ounces- The equivalent quantity in ounces
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in cups.
- It is multiplied by 8.3246550201, the ounces-per-cup figure for water.
- The result appears in ounces, with a second reading in g beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
1/3 cup of water in ounces
1/3 cup of water weighs out at 2.77489 ounces. Divide 2.77489 by 8.324655 and you get back to 1/3 cup, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
3/4 cup of water in ounces
A recipe calling for 3/4 cup of water needs 6.24349 ounces on the scale. The arithmetic is 0.75 × 8.324655 = 6.2434913, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 3.12175 ounces.
3 cup of water in ounces
3 cup of water weighs out at 24.974 ounces. Divide 24.974 by 8.324655 and you get back to 3 cup, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many ounces are in 1 cup of water?
One cup of water is 8.324655 ounces. Half that quantity is 4.16233 ounces and double it is 16.6493 ounces, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of water not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Water has a density of 0.99751 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 236 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 0.6 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?
Barely. Water does not compress, so a cup of it is 236 g however it is poured — within about 1%, which is inside the accuracy of a domestic scale. This is the group where measuring by volume is defensible.
Is a fluid ounce of water 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 water weighs 1.041 oz, so the two readings differ by 4.06%. 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 water would weigh 249.38 g instead of 236 g — 13.4 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?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 1% for water — roughly 2.36 g on a 236 g cup — while a domestic scale is accurate to a gram or two. For anything where the ratio of ingredients drives the outcome, bread and pastry above all, weigh it.
How many cups of water is 16 oz?
16 oz of water is 1.922 cups — 0.120125 cups to one ounce, so 16 × 0.120125 = 1.922. Going that way is a division by 8.32466, or a multiplication by 0.120125 if you prefer.
Water in cups and ounces
| Cups | Ounces | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 1.04058 oz | 1.040581878 |
| 1/4 cup | 2.08116 oz | 2.081163755 |
| 1/3 cup | 2.77489 oz | 2.774885007 |
| 1/2 cup | 4.16233 oz | 4.16232751 |
| 2/3 cup | 5.54977 oz | 5.549770013 |
| 3/4 cup | 6.24349 oz | 6.243491265 |
| 1 cup | 8.32466 oz | 8.32465502 |
| 1 1/2 cup | 12.487 oz | 12.48698253 |
| 2 cup | 16.6493 oz | 16.64931004 |
| 3 cup | 24.974 oz | 24.97396506 |
| 4 cup | 33.2986 oz | 33.29862008 |
Based on 236 g per cup of water. One cup of water is 8.324655 ounces.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 236 g | 8.32 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 177 g | 6.24 oz | 177.4 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 157.3 g | 5.55 oz | 157.7 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 118 g | 4.16 oz | 118.3 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 78.67 g | 2.77 oz | 78.86 mL |
| 1/4 cup | 59 g | 2.08 oz | 59.15 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 14.75 g | 0.52 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 1 tsp | 4.917 g | 0.173 oz | 4.929 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut oil | 218 g | 7.69 oz | 0.9214 |
| Mayonnaise | 220 g | 7.76 oz | 0.9299 |
| Cream cheese | 227 g | 8.007 oz | 0.9595 |
| Water (this page) | 236 g | 8.325 oz | 0.9975 |
| Heavy cream | 238 g | 8.395 oz | 1.006 |
| Vinegar | 239 g | 8.43 oz | 1.01 |
| Sour cream | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.