Volume converter

What the result means

A cup is not a universal unit. An Australian metric cup is 250 mL. A US customary cup is about 237 mL. Using the wrong cup changes a recipe.

How it is calculated

to = from × (factorFrom ÷ factorTo), using millilitres as the common base

• Value: The amount in the starting unit.
• From / To: Units from the same measurement family.

Every cooking and liquid unit is stored as millilitres. Australian metric units use the round 250 / 20 / 5 mL values; US units use the US customary definitions.

Worked example

One Australian cup in millilitres

A cake recipe from an Australian book calls for 1 cup of milk.

Australian cup

1 × 250 mL = 250 mL

If it were a US cup

About 237 mL — 13 mL less

For Australian recipes, use 250 mL cups. For US recipes, switch the from-unit to US cup rather than assuming they match.

Australian metric spoons are not US spoons

Food Standards and Australian recipes use a 250 mL cup, a 20 mL tablespoon and a 5 mL teaspoon. US tablespoons are 15 mL (about 14.8 mL exactly) and teaspoons about 4.93 mL. Using a US cup on an Australian cake recipe short-changes the batter by 13 mL per cup, which adds up in a batter that calls for four of them.

Imperial gallons (4.546 L) still appear on some imported labels. US gallons are 3.785 L. This converter names each system so they are not mixed. A “gallon of paint” from a US specification is not the same tin you will find at Bunnings.

Medicine doses are in millilitres. Prefer the syringe or the mark on the measuring cup over a kitchen teaspoon, which is a cooking unit and is often not 5 mL in a cutlery drawer.

Questions