Sugar Cups to Grams: Granulated, Brown, Powdered and More

Updated September 20, 2026 · 2 min read

Quick answer: one US cup of granulated sugar weighs about 200 grams. Brown sugar packed into a cup weighs about 213 grams, and powdered sugar about 120 grams.

Grams per cup for common sweeteners

These are typical values. Different brands and how tightly you pack the cup can shift them by several grams.

Why sugars weigh different amounts

Granulated sugar has small, solid crystals that pack fairly evenly. Powdered sugar is a fine, fluffy powder with a lot of air between particles, so a cup is much lighter. Brown sugar contains molasses, which makes it heavier and stickier, and recipes usually call for it to be packed.

Packing brown sugar

Press brown sugar firmly into the cup until it holds its shape when turned out. That is what "packed" means, and it is the basis for the 213 g figure.

Honey and syrups

Liquid sweeteners are heavier than sugar by volume. A cup of honey weighs about 340 g, which is why it is easier to weigh honey than to measure it. Lightly oil the measuring cup or spoon first so it slides out cleanly.

Tablespoons and teaspoons

A tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup, so a tablespoon of granulated sugar is about 12.5 g. A teaspoon, at 1/48 of a cup, is about 4 g.

Swapping one sugar for another

Replace granulated with caster sugar one for one by weight. Replacing granulated sugar with powdered sugar by volume gives a much lower weight, so convert by weight instead. Honey and syrup add moisture, which changes the other ingredients in a recipe.

Convert any amount

Try the cups to grams converter, and see our guide on butter conversions and the flour weight table for the other baking basics.

Try the calculators

• Cups to Grams Converter: Flour, sugar, butter and more
• Unit Converter: Length, weight, volume, temperature

General information only, not professional advice. See our editorial policy.