One Cup of Sugar in Grams, Plus Teaspoon and Tablespoon

A level cup of granulated sugar weighs about 200 grams, and that one number saves a lot of ruined cakes. Volume cups fib a little because sugar settles and packs as you scoop, so the cup of sugar in grams you actually pour can swing by 10 to 20 grams depending on your hand. King Arthur Baking lists 198 grams for a level cup, which most recipes round to a clean 200.

If you bake by weight, here is the short answer to how many grams in a cup of sugar for every common type, plus what a teaspoon and tablespoon weigh and what all that sugar does to your daily total. Weigh it once on a scale and you will never argue with a measuring cup again.

A Cup of Sugar in Grams, by Type

Granulated white sugar is the baseline, and one cup of granulated sugar in grams comes to 198 on King Arthur Baking's ingredient chart, which recipes usually round to 200. Packed brown sugar is heavier at 213 grams because molasses and pressure fit more into the same cup. Unsifted confectioners' sugar is airy at 113 grams, and superfine or caster sugar sits near 190. Once you switch from sugar to grams, a scale replaces the guesswork.

If you already weigh flour, sugar is the easy next step. The same fix from our cup of flour guide works here, and a scale ends the scoop and sweep debate for good.

One cup of granulated sugar weighs 198 grams on King Arthur's chart, and most bakers round it to a clean 200 grams.

Why Brown Sugar Weighs More Than White

Two cups of the same size can hold very different weights, which is why converting cups to grams for sugar trips people up. Grain size, moisture, and how hard you press all change the number. Our stick of butter chart shows the same puzzle with a softer ingredient.

Packed versus loose brown sugar

Brown sugar is meant to be packed, so you press it into the cup until it holds the shape when tipped out. Packed, one cup of brown sugar cups to grams at about 213, but a loose scoop can drop 20 or 30 grams. Always pack it unless a recipe asks for it loosely.

Sifted versus unsifted powdered sugar

Powdered sugar clumps, so sifting changes the weight. Unsifted it runs about 113 grams a cup, and sifted it can fall closer to 100. If a recipe lists powdered sugar cups to grams, check whether it wants sifted before you measure.

Teaspoon and Tablespoon of Sugar in Grams

A tablespoon of granulated sugar weighs about 12.5 grams, and a teaspoon lands near 4.2 grams. Since three teaspoons fill a tablespoon, the grams of sugar in a teaspoon triple neatly, which tells you how many grams in a tablespoon of sugar without another lookup. The calories in a teaspoon of sugar come to about 16, so they add up fast. If your recipe is in ounces, our grams to ounces converter turns any of these weights over in a second.

A teaspoon of sugar is about 4.2 grams and 16 calories, so four teaspoons in your coffee run close to 64 calories before any milk.

What a Cup of Sugar Does to Your Daily Sugar Budget

Weight is where sugar gets real. One cup of sugar in grams comes to about 200, and at four calories a gram that is close to 800 calories of pure added sugar in a single batch. Spread across a dozen cookies, that is roughly 65 calories of sugar per cookie before you add any butter or chocolate.

The American Heart Association caps added sugar at 36 grams a day for men and 25 grams for women, while the FDA Daily Value sits at 50 grams. Measured against a daily serving of sugar that small, one cup in a recipe is a week's worth, which is a good reason to weigh sugar and know exactly how many grams of sugar per day you bake into a treat.

A single cup of sugar holds roughly 200 grams, which is eight days of added sugar for a woman at the American Heart Association limit.

How to Weigh Sugar Without Measuring Cups

A digital kitchen scale is the fastest fix. Set your bowl on it, press tare to zero out the weight, and spoon sugar in until the display hits your number. No scale in the drawer? Scale for Grams estimates weight from a photo, so you can check a cup of sugar with your phone.

Weighing travels between recipes too. Once you know sugar to grams, the same scale handles flour, butter, and coffee, and our grams to ounces guide covers the imperial side.

Sugar Weight Questions Bakers Ask

How many grams in a cup of sugar?

A level cup of granulated sugar is about 198 to 200 grams. Packed brown sugar is heavier near 213 grams, and unsifted powdered sugar is lighter at about 113 grams. Weigh it on a scale for the exact number every time.

How many grams in a tablespoon of sugar?

A tablespoon of granulated sugar weighs about 12.5 grams and holds roughly 50 calories. A teaspoon is about 4.2 grams. Three teaspoons equal one tablespoon, so the weights scale evenly as you go up.

How many grams of sugar per day are safe?

The American Heart Association suggests a daily serving of sugar under 25 grams for women and 36 grams for men. The FDA Daily Value is 50 grams. Keeping grams of sugar per day near those lines is the goal for added sugar.

Is a cup of brown sugar the same weight?

No. Packed brown sugar cups to grams at about 213 per cup, heavier than the 200 grams in 1 cup of sugar that is granulated. The molasses and the packing add the extra weight.

Need to weigh a cup of sugar without hunting for measuring cups? Scale for Grams gives you an AI powered weight estimate from a photo in seconds, in grams, ounces, or kilograms. Get the app here: iOS.