MeasuredCup

Ingredient Weights per Cup: USDA vs King Arthur

Most baking ingredients weigh within 5% of each other in USDA and King Arthur data, but bread and cake flour, cornstarch, oil, oats, milk, rice and powdered sugar differ by 6% to 13%. USDA lists all-purpose flour at 125 g per cup and bread flour at 137 g; King Arthur uses 120 g for both. The full table and a CSV are below.

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Free to reuse with a link to MeasuredCup (CC BY 4.0). USDA data is public domain.

Ingredient weights per cup, tablespoon and teaspoon (USDA and King Arthur)
USDA food and FDC ID
All-purpose flour1257.82.6120+4%Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached; 1 cupFDC 168894
Bread flour1378.62.9120+12.4%Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched; 1 cupFDC 168896
Brown sugar (packed)22013.84.6213+3.2%Sugars, brown; 1 cup packedFDC 168833
Butter22714.24.7226+0.4%Butter, salted; 1 cupFDC 173410
Cake flour1378.62.9120+12.4%Wheat flour, white, cake, enriched; 1 cup unsifted, dippedFDC 169723
Cornstarch12882.7112+12.5%Cornstarch; 1 cupFDC 169698
Granulated sugar20012.54.2198+1%Sugars, granulated; 1 cupFDC 169655
Heavy cream23814.95227+4.6%Cream, fluid, heavy whipping; 1 cup, fluid (yields 2 cups whipped)FDC 170859
Honey33921.27.1336+0.9%Honey; 1 cupFDC 169640
Long-grain white rice (uncooked)18511.63.9198-7%Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, enriched; 1 cupFDC 168877
Maple syrup31519.76.6312+1%Syrups, maple; 1 cupFDC 169661
Peanut butter25816.15.4270-4.7%Peanut butter, smooth style, with salt; 1 cupFDC 174266
Plain whole-milk yogurt24515.35.1--Yogurt, plain, whole milk; 1 cup (8 fl oz)FDC 171284
Powdered sugar (unsifted)1207.52.5113+5.8%Sugars, powdered; 1 cup unsiftedFDC 169656
Rolled oats815.11.789-9.9%Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry; 1 cupFDC 173904
Semisweet chocolate chips16810.53.5170-1.2%Candies, semisweet chocolate; 1 cup chips (6 oz package)FDC 167976
Sour cream23014.44.8227+1.3%Cream, sour, cultured; 1 cupFDC 171257
Table salt29218.36.1288+1.4%Salt, table; 1 cupFDC 173468
Unsweetened cocoa powder865.41.884+2.3%Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened; 1 cupFDC 169593
Vegetable oil21813.64.5198+9.2%Oil, canola; 1 cupFDC 172336
Water23714.84.9--Beverages, water, tap, drinking; 1 cup (8 fl oz)FDC 173647
Whole milk24415.35.1227+7%Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D; 1 cupFDC 171265
Whole wheat flour1207.52.5--Wheat flour, whole-grain; 1 cupFDC 168893

How we built this table

USDA values come from the FoodData Central SR Legacy release, using each food's household portion for 1 cup. King Arthur values come from their published ingredient weight chart; where they list 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup, we multiplied up to a full cup. Tablespoon and teaspoon figures are the cup weight divided by 16 and 48.

Why the sources disagree

USDA portions describe a standard household cup. Test kitchens weigh the way their own recipes are written, often spooning flour lightly into the cup. Liquids differ for a different reason: King Arthur rounds milk and cream to 8 ounces per cup, while USDA weighs the liquid itself, which is denser than water.

What this page doesn't cover

It doesn't cover individual brands yet. Our next update adds weights from US nutrition labels, which list a serving in both cups and grams.

FAQ

Is the CSV free to use?
Yes. The CSV is free to reuse with a link to MeasuredCup under CC BY 4.0, and the underlying USDA data is public domain.
How often is the table updated?
When USDA publishes a new FoodData Central release or a source changes its chart. Changes are logged on the editorial policy page.
Why is bread flour heavier than all-purpose in USDA data?
USDA's portion data lists 137 g per cup for bread flour against 125 g for all-purpose. Bread flour's higher protein and coarser grind can pack more densely in a cup.
Can I use these numbers for nutrition labels?
No. These are kitchen averages. Food labels must follow FDA rules and the product's own tested data.

Sources