How much is 1 oz in a cup?

When looking at liquid measurements, ounces and cups are two common units used. An ounce (oz) is a unit of weight, while a cup is a unit of volume. So how do they relate to each other? Let’s take a closer look.

Table of Contents

Quick Answer

The quick answer is:

1 fluid ounce (fl oz) = 2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup

So 1 ounce is equal to 1/8 cup. To convert between ounces and cups:

1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
1 fluid ounce = 1/8 cup

Ounces and Cups Explained

An ounce (oz) is a unit of weight. In the imperial system, one ounce equals 28.35 grams.

A cup is a unit of volume. One cup equals 236.58 ml or 16 tablespoons. Cups are used to measure the volume or capacity of liquids.

When dealing with water-based liquids, an ounce and a cup can be converted between weight and volume using the density of water. Water has a density of 1 gram per 1 ml. So 1 fluid ounce of water weighs about 28 grams, which is approximately the same as 1 ounce by weight. This allows us to convert between ounces and cups for water and other water-like liquids.

Converting Ounces to Cups

To summarize:

1 fluid ounce (fl oz) = 2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 16 tablespoons

So to convert:

To convert fluid ounces to cups: Divide fluid ounces by 8
To convert cups to fluid ounces: Multiply cups by 8

Some examples:

8 fl oz = 8/8 cups = 1 cup
16 fl oz (a pint) = 16/8 cups = 2 cups

24 fl oz = 24/8 cups = 3 cups
1 cup = 1 * 8 fl oz = 8 fl oz
2 cups = 2 * 8 fl oz = 16 fl oz (a pint)

Converting Cups to Ounces

To convert cups to fluid ounces:

Multiply cups by 8

Examples:

1 cup * 8 = 8 fluid ounces
2 cups * 8 = 16 fluid ounces (a pint)
3 cups * 8 = 24 fluid ounces

Converting Ounces to Tablespoons and Teaspoons

Here are some common conversions between ounces, tablespoons (tbsp) and teaspoons (tsp):

1 fl oz = 2 tbsp = 6 tsp
1 tbsp = 3 tsp

1/2 fl oz = 1 tbsp
1/4 fl oz = 1.5 tbsp
1/8 fl oz = 0.5 tbsp = 1.5 tsp

Converting Cups to Tablespoons and Teaspoons

To convert between cups, tablespoons and teaspoons:

1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp
1 tbsp = 3 tsp

1/2 cup = 8 tbsp = 24 tsp
1/4 cup = 4 tbsp = 12 tsp
1/8 cup = 2 tbsp = 6 tsp

Comparing Weight versus Volume

When looking at ounces and cups, keep in mind that ounces measure weight while cups measure volume. The conversion between weight ounces and fluid ounces depends on the density of the liquid being measured. For pure water, 1 fluid ounce approximately equals 1 ounce by weight. But for other liquids like oil, honey, etc the weight-to-volume conversion will be different.

Using a Conversion Table

For easy reference, here is a conversion table between fluid ounces, cups, tablespoons and teaspoons:

Fluid Ounces	Cups	Tablespoons	Teaspoons
16	1	32	96
12	1.5	24	72
10	1.25	20	60
8	1	16	48
6	0.75	12	36
5	0.625	10	30
4	0.5	8	24
3	0.375	6	18
2	0.25	4	12
1	0.125	2	6

Metric Conversions

The conversions above are based on the US customary system. Here are the metric conversions between milliliters (ml) and fluid ounces:

1 fluid ounce = 29.57 ml
1 milliliter = 0.034 fluid ounces

Other Useful Conversions

In cooking, baking and mixology, some other useful conversions include:

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce
16 tablespoons = 1 cup

2 cups = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
4 quarts = 1 gallon

Conclusion