How to Convert a Recipe to Grams: Converting US Cups and Tablespoons to Grams

A gram is a metric unit of mass or weight equal to one-thousandth of a kilogram. In countries that use the metric system, grams are used to measure non-liquid ingredients in recipes. Grams are also used on nutrition labels around the world, even in the United States where grams are an uncommon form of measurement. For reference, a dollar bill, a stick of gum, a metal paperclip, and a pen cap each weigh about one gram.

The metric system is the most common system of measurement around the world. The only nations that do not use the metric system are the United States, Myanmar, and Liberia.

The U.S. system of weights and measures is based on the imperial system, also known as the British Imperial System (Great Britain abolished the imperial system in 1965). The metric system primarily measures ingredients by weight, while the imperial system measures ingredients by volume, making conversions between them especially tricky when it comes to cooking and baking. Learn more about the differences between metric and imperial measurement systems here.

Converting ingredients to grams can be tricky because grams are a weight measurement, not a volume measurement. That means that one cup of an ingredient is a different weight than one cup of another ingredient. For example, a cup of sugar weighs more (198 grams) than a cup of flour (120 grams).

Pay close attention to baking ingredient conversions and be as precise as possible. One misplaced zero or decimal point in your metric conversions could be the difference between a light, fluffy cake and one that collapses in the oven.

1 Milligram = .001 Grams

1 Ounce = 28.35 Grams

1 Fluid Ounce = 29.57 Grams

1 Pound = 453.59 Grams

1 Kilogram = 1,000 Grams

1 Stone = 6,350.20 Grams

1 U.S. Ton = 907,185 Grams