Ingredient Density Table
Every ingredient density this site's calculators use, with the exact USDA source figure it was derived from -- sortable, and with the cup and fluid-ounce weights shown alongside the density in g/mL.
| Source | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour Spooned & leveled -- scooping directly from the bag packs more flour into the same cup. | 0.5283 | 125.00 | 15.63 | FDC ID 168894: "Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached" (1 cup = 125 g) |
| Brown sugar (packed) USDA also publishes an unpacked cup at 145 g for the same food -- packed is the standard baking measure. | 0.9299 | 220.00 | 27.50 | FDC ID 168833: "Sugars, brown" (1 cup, packed = 220 g) |
| Butter | 0.9595 | 227.00 | 28.38 | FDC ID 173410: "Butter, salted" (1 cup = 227 g) |
| Cocoa powder (unsweetened) Genuinely this light: unsweetened cocoa is a very fine, aerated powder. Sifted or packed cocoa will weigh noticeably more or less per cup. | 0.3635 | 86.00 | 10.75 | FDC ID 169593: "Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened" (1 cup = 86 g) |
| Corn syrup | 1.4413 | 341.00 | 42.63 | FDC ID 168837: "Syrups, corn, light" (1 cup = 341 g) |
| Granulated sugar | 0.8454 | 200.00 | 25.00 | FDC ID 169655: "Sugars, granulated" (1 cup = 200 g) |
| Heavy cream | 1.0060 | 238.00 | 29.75 | FDC ID 170859: "Cream, fluid, heavy whipping" (1 cup, fluid (yields 2 cups whipped) = 238 g) |
| Honey | 1.4329 | 339.00 | 42.38 | FDC ID 169640: "Honey" (1 cup = 339 g) |
| Ketchup | 1.0144 | 240.00 | 30.00 | FDC ID 168556: "Catsup" (1 cup = 240 g) |
| Maple syrup | 1.3314 | 315.00 | 39.38 | FDC ID 169661: "Syrups, maple" (1 cup = 315 g) |
| Mayonnaise | 0.9299 | 220.00 | 27.50 | FDC ID 171009: "Salad dressing, mayonnaise, regular" (1 cup = 220 g) |
| Oats | 0.6594 | 156.00 | 19.50 | FDC ID 169705: "Oats (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)" (1 cup = 156 g) |
| Olive oil | 0.9130 | 216.00 | 27.00 | FDC ID 171413: "Oil, olive, salad or cooking" (1 cup = 216 g) |
| Peanut butter (smooth) | 1.0905 | 258.00 | 32.25 | FDC ID 174294: "Peanut Butter, smooth (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)" (1 cup = 258 g) |
| Rice, white (uncooked) | 0.7819 | 185.00 | 23.13 | FDC ID 168877: "Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, enriched" (1 cup = 185 g) |
| Salt (table) Fine table salt only. Diamond Crystal kosher salt runs roughly half this density per cup (irregular flakes leave more air); Morton kosher salt is closer to table salt. | 1.2342 | 292.00 | 36.50 | FDC ID 173468: "Salt, table" (1 cup = 292 g) |
| Vegetable oil | 0.9214 | 218.00 | 27.25 | FDC ID 172370: "Oil, vegetable, soybean, refined" (1 cup = 218 g) |
| Water (at 4 °C / 39 °F) 1.000 g/mL is the historical reference density (water's temperature of maximum density, ~4 °C). At 25 °C room temperature it's about 0.997 g/mL. | 1.0000 | 1,000.00 | 29.57 | Reference physical constant, not FoodData Central |
| Whole milk | 1.0313 | 244.00 | 30.50 | FDC ID 171265: "Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D" (1 cup = 244 g) |
| Yogurt, plain (whole milk) | 1.0356 | 245.00 | 30.63 | FDC ID 171284: "Yogurt, plain, whole milk" (1 cup (8 fl oz) = 245 g) |
Densities are derived as (grams per cup) ÷ 236.5882 mL, using the exact US cup volume from NIST Handbook 44 (2018), Appendix C — General Tables of Units of Measurement, Units of Capacity or Volume - Liquid Volume Measure. Grams-per-cup figures are USDA household weights from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), food_portion.csv (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/). Water's density is the physical reference value; see Jones & Harris, "ITS-90 Density of Water Formulation for Volumetric Standards Calibration," NIST J. Res. 97, 335 (1992), Table 1.
How each density is derived
USDA FoodData Central publishes a household measure for many foods -- most commonly, how many grams are in one US cup. Dividing that gram weight by the cup's volume in milliliters gives a density in grams per milliliter, the unit every calculator on this site uses:
density (g/mL) = (grams per cup) ÷ 236.5882 mL
The cup and fluid-ounce volumes themselves are exact, not measured: 1 US fluid ounce is exactly 29.5735 mL (defined as 1/128 of a US gallon, which is 3.785411784 L exactly), and 1 US cup is 8 fluid ounces, or exactly 236.5882 mL -- both per NIST Handbook 44 (2018), Appendix C — General Tables of Units of Measurement, Units of Capacity or Volume - Liquid Volume Measure. The table below also shows each ingredient's weight per fluid ounce, computed the same way (density × 29.5735 mL), so a cup or fluid-ounce measure from a recipe can be checked against a kitchen scale reading directly.
Water: the reference case
Water isn't a FoodData Central entry -- its density is the physical reference value every other substance is implicitly compared against. 1.000 g/mL is the historical basis for the gram itself, at water's temperature of maximum density (close to 4 °C); at 25 °C room temperature, water is measurably less dense, about 0.997 g/mL, per Jones & Harris, "ITS-90 Density of Water Formulation for Volumetric Standards Calibration," NIST J. Res. 97, 335 (1992), Table 1 -- a small but real difference, and a reminder that density is a property that depends on temperature and isn't perfectly constant even for a single well-understood substance.
Ready to convert with one of these densities? ml to Grams Converter and the Grams to ml Converter both use this same table directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does every density on this page come from?
Each one is derived from a USDA FoodData Central household weight -- grams per US cup -- divided by the exact cup volume in milliliters. The FoodData Central ID, the exact food description and the source measure are cited in the Source column for every row, so the derivation can be checked line by line. Source dataset: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), food_portion.csv.
Why is a US cup exactly 236.5882365 mL?
A US cup is defined as 8 US fluid ounces, and a US fluid ounce is defined as 1/128 of a US gallon, which is itself exactly 3.785411784 liters -- so the cup volume follows exactly from those definitions, per NIST Handbook 44 (2018), Appendix C — General Tables of Units of Measurement, Units of Capacity or Volume - Liquid Volume Measure, rather than being a separately rounded figure.
Why is cocoa powder's density below 0.5 g/mL when most of the table is above it?
That's the real, sourced figure -- unsweetened cocoa powder is a very fine, aerated powder, and USDA's own household-weight data puts a cup at only 86 g, versus roughly 200-340 g for the denser liquids and syrups on this table. It isn't a data error; it's genuinely that light per volume.
Why does brown sugar list a "packed" measure specifically?
USDA publishes two figures for the same food -- 220 g for a packed cup and 145 g for an unpacked cup -- because how firmly brown sugar is pressed into the measuring cup changes its weight substantially. "Packed" is the standard instruction in most recipes, so that's the value used here; the unpacked figure is noted alongside it.
Can I trust these for precise baking or lab work?
Treat every value here as typical, not exact -- real products vary by brand, moisture content, and how firmly they're packed into a measuring cup. For baking precision or any lab-grade work, weigh the actual substance on a scale or use its manufacturer-published density rather than a household-weight estimate.
These are conversions, not measurements -- a density or concentration you enter or pick determines the answer, and real ingredients and products vary by brand. Nothing here is medical, dosing or pharmacist advice; confirm any medicine amount against the actual product label and your pharmacist or prescriber. See the Terms.