120 Grams of Water to Cups
½ cup in a US cup — and what that looks like with a measuring spoon
120 grams of water is ½ cup in a US cup. In the kitchen that is ½ cup plus ¼ teaspoon.
Grams weigh and cups fill, so the answer only exists once you say what is in the cup. A US cup of water weighs 237 g, and every figure on this page comes from that one number.
It also depends on whose cup you mean, though not much at this weight. A 250 ml metric cup — the standard in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada — holds about 5.7% more than the 236.6 ml US cup, but 120 g of water still rounds to ½ cup in both: 0.51 US cups against 0.48 metric.
Round to the nearest measure in a standard cup set — ½ cup — and you are 1 g under, about 1% of the amount.
120 g of water in each cup standard
| Cup standard | Size | Grams per cup | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| US customary | 236.6 ml | 237 g | ½ |
| Metric (UK, AU, NZ, CA) | 250 ml | 250 g | ½ |
| Imperial (older UK) | 284 ml | 285 g | ⅜ |
A recipe that says "cups" without saying which one is almost always American. At 120 g it barely matters for water — both cups round to the same measure — but on a larger batch the 5.7% gap compounds.
How to measure 120 g of water without scales
Water is the one ingredient where grams and millilitres are interchangeable: 1 g of water is 1 ml. Measure it in a liquid jug at eye level rather than a dry cup.
Because 1 g of water is 1 ml, a US cup of water is 237 g and a 250 ml metric cup is 250 g. Milk, stock and juice are close but a little heavier.
- Build it as ½ cup plus ¼ teaspoon rather than guessing at ½ of a cup.
- 120 g is 8.1 tablespoons of water, at 14.81 g per tablespoon.
- As a liquid measure that is about 120 ml — read a jug at eye level, not from above.
Nearby amounts of water
| Grams | US cups | Metric cups | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 g | ⅓ | ⅓ | 5.06 |
| 90 g | ⅜ | ⅜ | 6.08 |
| 100 g | ⅜ | ⅜ | 6.75 |
| 125 g | ½ | ½ | 8.44 |
| 130 g | ½ | ½ | 8.78 |
| 140 g | ⅝ | ½ | 9.45 |
| 150 g | ⅝ | ⅝ | 10.13 |
| 160 g | ⅔ | ⅝ | 10.8 |
120 g of something else
The same 120 g is a different number of cups for every ingredient, because they do not weigh the same for their size.
| Ingredient | Grams per US cup | US cups |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 125 g | 0.96 |
| Sugar | 200 g | ⅝ |
| Butter | 227 g | ½ |
| Oats | 90 g | 1⅓ |
120 grams in other units
| Unit | Amount |
|---|---|
| US cups | ½ |
| Tablespoons | 8.1 |
| Teaspoons | 24.3 |
| Ounces (weight) | 4.23 oz |
| Pounds | 0.26 lb |
| Millilitres (volume it fills) | 120 ml |
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 120 grams of water?
120 grams of water is ½ cup in a US cup, based on 237 g per cup. A 250 ml metric cup rounds to the same ½ cup.
What is the easiest way to measure 120 g of water?
½ cup plus ¼ teaspoon — built from a standard cup and spoon set. Water is the one ingredient where grams and millilitres are interchangeable: 1 g of water is 1 ml. Measure it in a liquid jug at eye level rather than a dry cup.
Is 120 g of water the same in cups in the UK?
Near enough. A UK, Australian, New Zealand or Canadian metric cup is 250 ml against the US cup's 236.6 ml, so the exact answers differ — 0.51 US cups against 0.48 metric — but both round to ½ cup, and at this weight you can use either.
Can I just use ½ cup instead?
½ cup of water weighs about 119 g, so you would be 1 g under. For a sauce or a soup that is fine; for a cake, where the flour-to-liquid ratio sets the crumb, weigh it.
How many ounces is 120 grams?
120 grams is 4.23 ounces by weight. Unlike cups, that answer is the same whatever you are measuring — ounces weigh, fluid ounces fill, and they are not the same unit.