International recipes fail in two predictable places: volume-to-weight conversions and oven temperatures. A cup of flour in an American recipe is not the same as a cup of flour in a European one — and the difference matters when you are baking. This guide gives you the reference tables, the math, and the common mistakes to avoid.
Volume Basics: Cups, Ounces, and Milliliters
The single biggest trap is that "ounces" appear in both volume and weight. Fluid ounces measure volume; ounces measure weight. One US cup is 8 fluid ounces or 237 milliliters. One UK cup is 284 milliliters. Most recipes from the US assume the 237 ml cup.
- 1 US cup = 237 ml (240 ml is the common rounded value)
- 1 US tablespoon = 15 ml (Australia uses 20 ml — check your spoons)
- 1 US teaspoon = 5 ml
- 1 UK cup = 284 ml; 1 UK fluid ounce = 28.4 ml
Tablespoons to Milliliters
When a recipe says "2 tablespoons of oil," it means 30 ml in the US system. The tablespoons to milliliters converter handles the conversions instantly, including the UK and Australian differences.
Cups to Grams: It Depends on the Ingredient
This is where baking lives or dies. A cup of flour weighs about 120 grams; a cup of sugar weighs 200 grams; a cup of butter weighs 227 grams. You cannot use one number for everything. The standard reference table looks like this:
| Ingredient | 1 US cup (g) | 1 tbsp (g) |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 g | 7.5 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 12.5 g |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 220 g | 13.75 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 14 g |
| Honey / syrup | 340 g | 21 g |
| Rolled oats | 90 g | 5.6 g |
| Rice (uncooked) | 185 g | 11.6 g |
Use the cups to grams converter for any ingredient not listed here.
Oven Temperature Conversions
Gas marks, Fahrenheit, and Celsius meet in the same recipe. Memorize the anchor points and convert anything between them:
| Fahrenheit | Celsius | Gas mark |
|---|---|---|
| 250°F | 120°C | 1/2 |
| 300°F | 150°C | 2 |
| 350°F | 180°C | 4 |
| 400°F | 200°C | 6 |
| 425°F | 220°C | 7 |
| 450°F | 230°C | 8 |
The formula is C = (F − 32) × 5/9, and F = C × 9/5 + 32. For quick checks, use the converter.
Three Common Mistakes
- Weighing flour that was scooped, not spooned. Scooping packs flour into the cup and adds 20–30% weight. Spoon it in and level it.
- Using the wrong cup for "a cup of water." The difference between 237 and 284 ml is a real 20% error in liquid recipes.
- Trusting "1 cup of butter = 250 g." Standard butter sticks make 227 g per US cup. Use the table above.
The Manual Math Worked Example
Convert 2½ cups of all-purpose flour to grams: 2.5 × 120 g = 300 g. Convert a 375°F oven to Celsius: (375 − 32) × 5/9 = 343 × 5/9 ≈ 190.6°C, so set the oven to 190–200°C. Two minutes with a pencil beats a ruined bake every time.
Bookmark the converters.zzml.com suite for fast conversions, and keep this table for the values you use weekly.