Convert English recipe measurements: numbers and rules

You found a recipe in English or German and want to avoid a mess with the measurements. Here you’ll immediately find the numbers you need, a quick table to save and the three conversions that almost everyone gets wrong.

The numbers you need to remember (straight away)

• 1 cup (US) = 236.6 ml (for liquids). For practical cooking this is often rounded to 240 ml.
• 1 tablespoon (TBSP) = 15 ml. 1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 ml.
• 1 ounce (oz, weight) = 28.35 g. 1 fluid ounce (fl oz) = 29.57 ml.
• 1 stick of butter (US) = 113.4 g. 1 cup of butter = 227 g.
• Temperature formula: °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9.

Quick table — cups to grams for common ingredients (US cup ≈ 236.6 ml):

Ingredient	1 cup ≈ g
00 flour / all-purpose (sifted)	120 g
Granulated sugar	200 g
Dark brown sugar (packed)	220 g
Butter	227 g
Milk / water	240 g (≈240 ml)
Cocoa powder	100 g

These numbers are practical: they are not physical laws, but they work almost always in home baking. If you need absolute precision use a digital scale and weigh the ingredient.

The three conversions almost everyone gets wrong (and how to avoid them)

1. Confusing volume and weight: do not use a single conversion “1 cup = 240 g” for everything.

• For example 1 cup of flour is ~120 g, but 1 cup of sugar is ~200 g. If you pour 240 g of flour where the recipe asks for 1 cup, the cake will be too dense.
• How to avoid it: always look for the specific conversion for the ingredient. If you can’t find it, weigh the ingredient or use the values in the table above.

2. Interpreting oz as fluid ounce.

• In many recipes “8 oz” indicates weight (8 ounces = 8 × 28.35 ≈ 227 g). In others it can be 8 fl oz (liquid) = ≈237 ml. Context matters: if it says "8 oz cheese" it’s weight; if it’s "8 fl oz milk" it’s liquid.
• How to avoid it: look for "oz" near the ingredient name. If it’s a liquid the recipe often specifies "fl oz" or you’ll see "8 oz milk" in non‑technical texts used to mean 1 cup.

3. Converting oven temperature badly with improvised shortcuts.

• A quick rule you often see: subtract 30 and divide by 2. It’s handy but inaccurate for cakes or delicate bakes.
• Correct formula: °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9. Here’s a practical map:
  • 300 °F ≈ 150 °C
  • 325 °F ≈ 160 °C
  • 350 °F ≈ 180 °C
  • 375 °F ≈ 190 °C
  • 400 °F ≈ 200 °C
• Also remember that fan (convection) ovens bake more intensely: lower the temperature by ~20 °C or follow your oven’s guidance.

6-step procedure to convert a foreign recipe without mistakes

1. Identify the original units: cup, oz, lb, TBSP, tsp, °F, g, ml.
2. For each ingredient ask yourself: is it liquid or solid? If it’s solid, you need the specific weight conversion.
3. Use the quick table for the main ingredients. If the ingredient is less common, look up the conversion online or weigh the single ingredient.
4. Convert temperatures with the exact formula or use the practical map above.
5. If the recipe indicates scalable "servings", apply the rule of proportions to dry and liquid ingredients. For complex quantities (yeast, salt, spices) scale with care: some yeasts and leavening reactions are not linear — for this reason read the recipe notes.
6. Save the converted version and organise your recipes so you don’t repeat the work.

If you want practical help on resizing without getting the proportions wrong, read the guide on Recalculating recipe quantities: rules and practical numbers. To avoid losing the video that inspired you, and to learn how to save a recipe from YouTube without rewatching the video, take a look at Saving recipes from YouTube without rewatching the video. Finally, if you collect links and screenshots, this quick procedure to tidy up your saved items prevents you from doing the conversions twice: Organise saved recipes in 3 practical steps.

Small practical tips that make life easier

• If you use a scale: weigh dry ingredients directly. Most errors disappear.
• When a recipe indicates "a taste" or "to taste" for spices and salt, do not reduce them proportionally: add gradually and taste.
• For different flours (wholemeal, oat, type 0) the density changes: reduce wholemeal flour a little or increase the liquids.
• If an English recipe seems too wet or too stiff after the first minute of mixing/kneading, stop and adjust: it’s easier to save the preparation than to remake it all.

Quick conclusion: what to do now

Take a recipe you want to try and apply the 6 steps above. If you prefer to skip manual conversions, you can also use a service that imports the link and returns the quantities and steps already numerically converted; I use it personally when I want to save time and get straight to the shopping.

Happy cooking: when you convert a recipe for the first time, make only one change at a time so you can see how the dough or the cooking reacts.