
1 Cup Butter in Grams: 227g US, 250g AU/UK Chart
If you’ve ever ended up with a dense, greasy cake despite following a recipe perfectly, the culprit might be hiding in your butter measurement. A cup of butter isn’t a fixed weight worldwide—it ranges from 227 to 250 grams depending on where you are. Here’s the honest breakdown of what that number means for your baking.
1 cup butter (US): 227g · 1 cup butter (AU/UK): 250g · 1/2 cup butter: 113–125g · Common range: 227–250g
Quick snapshot
- 1 US cup butter = 227g (Savor the Best)
- 2 US sticks = 1 cup = 227g (Land O’Lakes)
- Exact weight depends on butter density and packing method
- Minor variation between 113g and 115g per stick in some Canadian sources
- US cup standardized at 236.588ml in the 20th century
- UK/AU cups set at 250ml during metrication
- Use a kitchen scale for precision
- Match your cup standard to the recipe’s origin
Five key sources converge on butter cup weights, revealing a clear pattern: US recipes rely on 227g per cup while UK and Australian sources report higher values due to different cup volumes.
| Measurement | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup butter (US) | 227g | Savor the Best |
| 1 cup butter (AU) | 250g | Taste.com.au |
| 1/2 cup butter | 113–125g | Multiple sources |
| Source range | 227–250g | Doves Farm |
How much is 1 cup of butter in grams?
In the United States, 1 cup of butter equals 227g. Land O’Lakes (leading US butter producer) confirms that 1 cup of butter is exactly 2 sticks, which totals 227g when you multiply 113g per stick. KitchenAid (major kitchen appliance brand) publishes the same figure across its conversion guides.
The math is elegant: since each stick is precisely 113.4g (Land O’Lakes rounds this to 113g), two sticks equal one cup at 226.8g—most sources round this to 227g for practical use.
The catch is that the US cup isn’t the only cup in town. Most other countries use a 250ml cup, which is roughly 4% larger than the US 240ml standard. For butter, that translates to 240g instead of 227g. Doves Farm (UK flour brand with conversion resources) lists 1 cup butter at 240g precisely because UK cups hold 250ml.
The pattern: if your recipe is American, start with 227g per cup. If it’s from the UK, Australia, or most of the rest of the world, 240–250g is closer to the mark.
Is 250g of butter 1 cup?
It depends on which cup standard applies. In countries using 250ml cups (UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa), 250g of butter can indeed equal 1 cup. Industry Kitchens (Australian cooking resource) notes that Australian recipes often follow the US 227g convention despite using 250ml cups, creating some overlap.
Land O’Lakes (US butter producer) and KitchenAid (appliance brand with conversion charts) both report 227g for US recipes, but they are working with the US cup standard specifically.
What this means: 250g is 1 cup only if the recipe assumes a 250ml cup. The Australian tablespoon difference adds another wrinkle—AU tablespoons are 20ml versus the US 15ml, which compounds volume-based measurements further.
Is 125g of butter 1 cup?
No—125g is approximately half a cup, not a full cup. Erren’s Kitchen (cooking conversion resource) confirms that 1 stick of butter equals 1/2 cup at 113.4g, so 125g falls squarely in the half-cup range.
Fractional butter measurements work consistently: 1/4 cup is 57g, 1/2 cup is 113–115g, and 1 cup is 227g in the US system. The slight variance between 113g and 115g comes from rounding differences across sources—Land O’Lakes (US butter brand) uses 113g while KitchenAid (Canadian division) sometimes cites 115g for certain charts.
What is 125g of butter equivalent to in cups?
125g of butter is roughly 1/2 cup. Erren’s Kitchen (cooking conversion site) maps 1/2 cup to 113.4g, and Doves Farm (UK brand) lists 1/2 cup at 120g for their 250ml cup standard.
For precision baking, 125g sits between the US half-cup (113g) and the UK half-cup (120g). The practical range of 113–125g for “half a cup” reflects this international variation rather than measurement error.
Is 2 cups of butter 500g?
Only under the 250ml cup standard. KitchenAid (appliance brand) states that 1 lb butter equals 454g, which is 4 sticks or 2 cups. Doubling the US 227g gives 454g—not 500g.
Under the AU/UK 250ml cup system, 2 cups would weigh approximately 480–500g depending on the specific source. Industry Kitchens (Australian cooking resource) confirms that 2 US sticks equal 1 cup, so doubling that logic gives 2 cups at 454g.
The implication: if you’re scaling a recipe that calls for 2 cups of butter, using 500g will give you roughly 10% more butter than a US recipe intends—enough to throw off baking ratios noticeably.
Butter Gram Conversion Table
Across seven measurement standards, butter weights cluster around two values: the US figure of 227g per cup, and the metric-adjusted figure of 240–250g for 250ml cups.
| Cup amount | US (240ml cup) — grams | UK/AU (250ml cup) — grams |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 14.2g | 14.2g |
| 1/4 cup | 57g | 62.5g |
| 1/2 cup | 113–115g | 120–125g |
| 3/4 cup | 170g | 187.5g |
| 1 cup | 227g | 240–250g |
| 2 cups | 454g | 480–500g |
| 4 cups (1 lb) | 454g | 454g |
Why do butter weights vary by country?
Three factors drive the variation: cup volume differences, stick packaging conventions, and rounding practices. Savor the Best (recipe resource) explains that US cups hold 236.588ml while European, UK, and Australian cups all hold 250ml—a 4% difference that accumulates in weight-sensitive baking.
The US butter stick system reinforces the 227g standard. Erren’s Kitchen (cooking conversion site) notes that US butter is sold in 1/4 lb (113.4g) sticks, which conveniently double to 226.8g for 1 cup. This packaging logic doesn’t exist in metric countries, where butter is typically sold by the 250g block.
Most recipes are forgiving of this variance—Savor the Best (recipe site) notes that the 240ml versus 250ml cup difference rarely impacts most recipes. But for precision baking (macarons, buttercream, laminated pastries), using a scale and matching the recipe’s country of origin makes a measurable difference.
If you bake American recipes, 227g per cup is your baseline. For UK or Australian recipes, add roughly 10–15g per cup. The safest approach: weigh your butter, note the recipe’s origin, and adjust if you’re scaling.
What we know vs. what’s still unclear
Confirmed facts
- 1 US cup butter = 227g per Land O’Lakes, KitchenAid, and Savor the Best
- 1 US stick = 113.4g = 1/2 cup
- UK/AU cups are 250ml versus US 240ml
- 1 tablespoon butter = 14.2g universally
- 1 lb butter = 454g = 2 US cups = 4 sticks
What’s unclear
- Exact butter density variation at different temperatures affects weight
- Some Canadian sources list 115g per stick versus the standard 113g
- Packing method (solid vs. loosely spooned) can shift volume-to-weight ratios
“There is a slight variation between European and American measuring cups. European cups have 250ml of liquid volume, while US cups have 240ml.”
— Savor the Best (Recipe Resource)
“Our butter sticks are easy to measure. One full stick of butter equals 1/2 cup, or 8 tablespoons.”
— Land O’Lakes (US Butter Brand)
For bakers working with international recipes, the 227g versus 250g divide isn’t just a rounding issue—it’s a systematic difference rooted in how countries define a cup. American recipes assume the 240ml cup, while most of the English-speaking world moved to 250ml cups during metrication. The practical consequence: a UK recipe measured in cups will give you heavier butter portions than the same recipe scaled for US cups.
For most baking, a 10–15g difference per cup won’t ruin a recipe. But for precision work, match your measurement standard to the recipe’s origin and use a scale.
Related reading: How to Sharpen a Knife – Complete Beginner’s Guide · Cotelette de Porc au Four – Juicy Oven Recipe Guide
While US recipes standardize at 227g per cup, exact US, AU and UK weights highlight the 250g preference among Australian and UK bakers for consistent results.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 cup of butter 200g?
No. 1 cup of butter is 227g in the US and 240–250g in UK/AU countries. The value 200g falls short of standard conversions by 27–50g.
What is 1 cup of flour in grams?
All-purpose flour is approximately 120–150g per cup, well below butter’s 227–250g. Industry Kitchens (Australian cooking resource) notes this density difference is why butter conversions differ so sharply from flour.
What is 1 cup sugar in grams?
Granulated sugar is approximately 200g per cup—closer to butter than flour, but still lighter than butter’s 227–250g range.
Is 250g equal to 1 cup?
Only under the 250ml cup standard used in UK, Australia, and Canada. Under the US 240ml cup standard, 1 cup equals 227g.
What is 1/2 cup butter to grams?
113–125g depending on the cup standard. Erren’s Kitchen (cooking conversion site) confirms 113.4g for US recipes.
What is 1 cup milk in grams?
Milk is roughly 240g per cup (close to its volume in ml due to water-like density), heavier than butter per cup despite butter’s higher fat content.
Why do butter weights vary by country?
Because the US uses a 240ml cup while UK, Australia, Canada, and South Africa use 250ml cups. Butter’s density compounds this difference, making cup-to-gram conversions diverge by 10–23g per cup.