Grams per cup by type of flour
Flour | 1 cup | ½ cup | 1 metric cup |
|---|---|---|---|
All-purpose flour | 120 g | 60 g | 127 g |
Bread flour | 120 g | 60 g | 127 g |
Cake flour | 120 g | 60 g | 127 g |
Pastry flour | 106 g | 53 g | 112 g |
Whole wheat flour | 113 g | 57 g | 119 g |
Self-rising flour | 113 g | 57 g | 119 g |
00 pizza flour | 116 g | 58 g | 123 g |
Rye flour | 106 g | 53 g | 112 g |
Almond flour | 96 g | 48 g | 101 g |
Oat flour | 92 g | 46 g | 97 g |
Rice flour | 142 g | 71 g | 150 g |
Semolina | 163 g | 82 g | 172 g |
The first two columns are for a US cup of 236.6 ml. The last is for the 250 ml metric cup used in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Why you see 120, 125 and 140 for the same cup
Flour packs down, so the weight of a cup depends on how the flour got into it.
Spooned and leveled: you stir the flour, spoon it into the cup and sweep the top flat with a knife. This is how King Arthur Baking measures, and it gives 120 g.
The USDA’s food database lists a cup of all-purpose flour at 125 g.
Dipped and swept: you push the cup into the bag and level it. The flour is compressed, and the cup can hold 140 g or more. Some test kitchens write their recipes this way and count 5 ounces, about 142 g, for a cup.
None of these is wrong. They measure different habits. The trouble starts when a recipe written with one habit is made with another: a cake that needs 240 g of flour gets 280 g and turns out dry.
Is it a US cup or a metric cup?
A metric cup is about 6 percent bigger than a US cup, so a metric cup of all-purpose flour weighs 127 g instead of 120 g. If the recipe comes from Australia or New Zealand, it almost certainly means the metric cup. More on this in US, UK, Australian and metric cups.
Which number should I use?
If the recipe gives weights, use them and forget the cups.
If the author states what their cup of flour weighs, use their number.
Otherwise use 120 g, and fill your cup by spooning and leveling.
Common amounts of all-purpose flour
Cups | Grams |
|---|---|
¼ cup | 30 g |
⅓ cup | 40 g |
½ cup | 60 g |
⅔ cup | 80 g |
¾ cup | 90 g |
1 cup | 120 g |
1 ½ cups | 180 g |
2 cups | 240 g |
For any other amount or flour, use the cups to grams converter, which works in both directions.
Sources and method
Weights per cup come from King Arthur Baking’s ingredient weight chart, which states its standard of 120 g for a cup of all-purpose flour. The 125 g figure is the one in USDA FoodData Central. Metric cup weights are the same flour scaled from 236.6 ml to 250 ml.
