Cups to Pounds Converter
By Alastair Hazell.
Convert cups to pounds (lb) for common cooking and baking ingredients. We've included a reference chart of conversions further down the page. Note that you can convert lb to cups here.
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made in building our calculator tools, we are not to be held liable for any damages or monetary losses arising out of or in connection with their use. Full disclaimer.
How to convert cups to pounds
When you're converting cups to pounds, you need to know the density of the ingredient you're measuring. This is because the cup is a unit of volume and the pound (lb) is a unit of weight. By accounting for ingredient density, you can ensure a more accurate conversion, meaning your food ends up looking and tasting as delicious as intended.
For our converter above and our charts below, we've already sourced ingredient densities to help you. To give an example, a cup of flour weighs around 1/3 lb, whereas a cup of butter weighs around 1/2 lb. Butter is heavier because it's a denser ingredient.
Below you will find common baking ingredients with their cup to pound (lb) conversions. Note that all measurements reference the US cup. For those in the UK and the Commonwealth, we've included the metric cup in our converter at the top of the page.
Cups to pounds for all purpose flour
| Cups (US) | Pounds | Pounds (approx fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 0.14 lb | 1/8 lb |
| 1 cup | 0.28 lb | 1/4 lb |
| 2 cups | 0.55 lb | 1/2 lb |
| 3 cups | 0.83 lb | 3/4 lb |
| 4 cups | 1.1 lb | 1 and 1/8 lb |
| 5 cups | 1.38 lb | 1 and 1/3 lb |
We feature more flour conversions in our article about flour here.
Cups to pounds for bread flour
| Cups (US) | Pounds | Pounds (approx fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 0.14 lb | 1/8 lb |
| 1 cup | 0.29 lb | 1/4 lb |
| 2 cups | 0.57 lb | 1/2 lb |
| 3 cups | 0.86 lb | 3/4 lb |
| 4 cups | 1.15 lb | 1 and 1/8 lb |
| 5 cups | 1.43 lb | 1 and 1/2 lb |
Cups to pounds for cake flour
| Cups (US) | Pounds | Pounds (approx fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 0.13 lb | 1/8 lb |
| 1 cup | 0.25 lb | 1/4 lb |
| 2 cups | 0.5 lb | 1/2 lb |
| 3 cups | 0.75 lb | 3/4 lb |
| 4 cups | 1.01 lb | 1 lb |
| 5 cups | 1.26 lb | 1 and 1/4 lb |
Cups to pounds for granulated sugar
| Cups (US) | Pounds | Pounds (approx fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 0.22 lb | 1/4 lb |
| 1 cup | 0.44 lb | 1/2 lb |
| 2 cups | 0.89 lb | 1 lb |
| 3 cups | 1.33 lb | 1 and 1/3 lb |
| 4 cups | 1.77 lb | 1 and 3/4 lb |
| 5 cups | 2.21 lb | 2 and 1/4 lb |
More sugar conversions can be found in our article about sugar here.
Cups to pounds for powdered sugar (unsifted)
| Cups (US) | Pounds | Pounds (approx fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 0.13 lb | 1/8 lb |
| 1 cup | 0.27 lb | 1/4 lb |
| 2 cups | 0.53 lb | 1/2 lb |
| 3 cups | 0.8 lb | 3/4 lb |
| 4 cups | 1.07 lb | 1 and 1/16 lb |
| 5 cups | 1.33 lb | 1 and 1/3 lb |
Cups to pounds for brown sugar (packed)
| Cups (US) | Pounds | Pounds (approx fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 0.21 lb | 1/4 lb |
| 1 cup | 0.43 lb | 1/2 lb |
| 2 cups | 0.86 lb | 3/4 lb |
| 3 cups | 1.29 lb | 1 and 1/4 lb |
| 4 cups | 1.72 lb | 1 and 3/4 lb |
| 5 cups | 2.15 lb | 2 and 1/8 lb |
Cups to pounds for butter
| Cups (US) | Pounds | Pounds (approx fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 0.25 lb | 1/4 lb |
| 1 cup | 0.5 lb | 1/2 lb |
| 2 cups | 1 lb | 1 lb |
| 3 cups | 1.5 lb | 1 and 1/2 lb |
| 4 cups | 2 lb | 2 lb |
| 5 cups | 2.5 lb | 2 and 1/2 lb |
You can use our butter conversion tool to convert between sticks, cups and pounds of butter.
Other related converters
The cooking and baking calculators on our website have been serving users for over ten years and are used daily by home cooks and bakers. We researched the densities for our ingredient lists from reputable sources to ensure the accuracy of our information, and these are referenced below.
References
- NIST - Office of Weights and Measures. Metric Kitchen: Culinary Measurement Tips
- Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations. Density Database Version 2.0
- Rose Levy Beranbaum. (1988). The Cake Bible. https://www.realbakingwithrose.com/the-cake-bible