mL to Cups — Millilitres ↔ US Cups & Lab Volumes
Convert millilitres to US cups, fluid ounces, and liters — for lab work, cooking, and recipe scaling.
Common Lab & Kitchen Volume Conversions
| mL | US Cups | Fl oz (US) | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mL | 0.021 cups | 0.169 fl oz | 1 tsp (≈ 4.9 mL) |
| 15 mL | 0.063 cups | 0.507 fl oz | 1 tbsp |
| 30 mL | 0.127 cups | 1.014 fl oz | 1 fl oz ≈ 29.6 mL |
| 60 mL | 0.254 cups | 2.03 fl oz | ¼ cup |
| 120 mL | 0.507 cups | 4.06 fl oz | ½ cup |
| 236.6 mL | 1 cup | 8 fl oz | Exactly 1 US cup |
| 250 mL | 1.057 cups | 8.45 fl oz | Lab beaker (≈ 1 cup) |
| 500 mL | 2.113 cups | 16.9 fl oz | Standard water bottle |
| 1000 mL (1 L) | 4.227 cups | 33.8 fl oz | 1 litre |
The Formula
1 US cup is defined as exactly 236.5882365 mL (≈ 236.6 mL):
- mL to cups: divide by 236.588
- Cups to mL: multiply by 236.588
- mL to fluid ounces: divide by 29.574
In chemistry labs, 250 mL beakers are standard glassware, so a quick approximation is 250 mL ≈ 1 cup. This is about 5.7% high — fine for rough purposes but not for an analytical chemistry experiment.
US Cup vs. Metric Cup
If your lab manual or recipe comes from Canada or Australia, it may use a metric cup = exactly 250 mL rather than the US cup (236.6 mL). Always check which system your protocol uses — the difference is small but consistent enough to matter in stoichiometry or baking.
For temperature and weight conversions needed in the same lab session, see °F to °C and lbs to kg. Or use the full unit converter to handle all categories at once.