In this guide
Quick answer: one US cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 125 grams (4.4 ounces). Other flours differ slightly, and how you fill the cup can change the weight noticeably.
Grams per cup by flour type
| Flour | 1 US cup (grams) | 1 tablespoon (grams) |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 125 | 7.81 |
| Bread flour | 130 | 8.12 |
| Cake flour | 115 | 7.19 |
| Whole wheat flour | 120 | 7.5 |
| Self-raising flour | 125 | 7.81 |
These are typical values, and reliable sources differ by about 10% or more. If your recipe gives a weight in grams, use that instead.
Why the same cup can weigh so much more
Flour is compressible. If you dip the cup straight into the bag, it packs the flour, and a cup can weigh 140 g or more. If you spoon flour into the cup and level it off, it will be closer to 120 to 125 g. That difference of 10% to 25% is enough to make cakes dry and cookies stiff.
The spoon and level method
- Stir or fluff the flour in its container.
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup without pressing it down.
- Level the top with the back of a knife.
Converting a recipe
Multiply the number of cups by the weight per cup. Two and a half cups of all-purpose flour is 2.5 × 125 = 312 g, which most people round to 310 or 315 g.
Other flour measures
A tablespoon of all-purpose flour is about 8 g, and a teaspoon is about 2.6 g. For flours such as almond or coconut, weights per cup differ a lot from wheat flour, so look for a recipe or package that gives grams.
Sifted flour
Some older recipes say "1 cup sifted flour", meaning you sift first and then measure, which gives a lighter cup than unsifted flour. "1 cup flour, sifted" means measure first and then sift. Weighing avoids the confusion.
Try it
Use the cups to grams converter to convert any amount, and see our full baker's guide for other ingredients.
Try the calculators
- Cups to Grams Converter: Flour, sugar, butter and more
- Unit Converter: Length, weight, volume, temperature
General information only, not professional advice. See our editorial policy.