Written by Mustapha B. · Updated August 13, 2026
A cup of granulated sugar weighs about 200 grams. Brown and powdered sugars differ, so pick the right type, convert any cup amount of sugar to grams below.
When a recipe gives sugar in cups but you'd rather weigh it, the key number to know is that 1 cup of granulated white sugar weighs about 200 grams. That makes half a cup roughly 100g and a quarter cup about 50g. Brown sugar is different because it's usually packed: 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar comes to around 220g. Powdered (icing) sugar is much lighter and airier, so 1 cup is only about 120g. Always match the type of sugar for an accurate weight.
Weighing sugar instead of scooping gives you far more consistent bakes, especially for delicate items like meringues, caramel, and sponge cakes where the sugar-to-everything-else ratio really matters. Enter your cup amount and sugar type to get grams instantly. A useful tip: granulated sugar doesn't compress, so you can scoop and level it confidently, but always pack brown sugar down into the cup before weighing or it'll read far too light.
The reason a single “cup to grams” number never works is that a cup measures volume while grams measure weight. A cup of feathery flour holds far less mass than a cup of dense honey, so the only accurate way to convert between volume and weight is to use each ingredient’s density. This converter stores tested densities for dozens of common cooking and baking ingredients, so you get the right number every time.
Volume-to-volume (cups → tablespoons) and weight-to-weight (ounces → grams) conversions are fixed ratios and don’t depend on the ingredient. You only need to pick an ingredient when you cross between the two, for example cups to grams, or ounces to cups.
| Ingredient | 1 cup | ½ cup | ⅓ cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour, all-purpose | 125 g | 63 g | 42 g |
| Flour, bread | 127 g | 64 g | 42 g |
| Sugar, granulated | 200 g | 100 g | 67 g |
| Sugar, brown (packed) | 220 g | 110 g | 73 g |
| Sugar, powdered | 120 g | 60 g | 40 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 114 g | 76 g |
| Cocoa powder | 85 g | 43 g | 28 g |
| Honey | 340 g | 170 g | 113 g |
| Water | 237 g | 119 g | 79 g |
Weights are spooned-and-levelled and based on commonly referenced King Arthur Baking and USDA densities. For the most reliable baking, weigh ingredients with a digital scale.
About 200 grams for granulated white sugar. Packed brown sugar is roughly 220 grams per cup, and powdered sugar is around 120 grams per cup, so the type matters.
Per cup they're very close, both around 200 grams, because caster sugar is simply finer granulated sugar. You can use the same figure for either in most recipes.