Flour Conversion Calculator

About the Flour Conversion Calculator

Flour is the ingredient most likely to go wrong when a recipe is converted. It is light, it compresses easily, and different flours weigh different amounts per cup. A cup of all-purpose flour is not the same weight as a cup of bread flour, cake flour or almond flour — and the same cup of the same flour can vary by a fifth depending on how it was filled.

This flour conversion calculator handles all of that. Choose the type of flour, enter an amount in cups, tablespoons, grams or ounces, and say whether cups were spooned and levelled or scooped from the bag. It gives the weight in grams and ounces, the volume in cups with a measurable breakdown, and the recipe for making self-raising flour from plain flour for the same amount.

How to Use the Flour Conversion Calculator

Enter the amount of flour.

Choose the unit: cups, tablespoons, grams or ounces.

Choose the flour: all-purpose (plain), bread (strong), whole wheat (wholemeal), cake, self-raising or almond.

If the amount is in cups or tablespoons, choose how the cup was filled.

How Flour Is Converted

  grams         =  cups × weight of one cup of that flour
  scooped cups  ≈  18% more flour than spooned cups
  cups          =  grams ÷ weight of one cup (spooned and levelled)

Step-by-Step Example

Two cups of all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled.

  One cup:        about 125 g
  Two cups:       2 × 125            =  250 g  (8.82 oz)

The same two cups, scooped from the bag.

  Spooned weight: 250 g
  Scooped:        250 × 1.18         =  295 g
  In spooned cups: 295 ÷ 125         =  2.36 cups

500 grams of bread flour.

  One cup:        about 130 g
  Cups:           500 ÷ 130          =  3.85 cups

Weight per Cup by Flour Type

These are typical figures for flour spooned into the cup and levelled. Brands, grind and humidity all shift them slightly.

Spooned or Scooped?

When you dip a measuring cup into a bag of flour and scrape it level, the cup compresses the flour as it goes in. The result can be 140 to 150 grams per cup instead of around 125. Spooning flour into the cup and levelling it — the method most American recipe writers assume — gives lighter, more consistent results.

If a recipe tells you how it was measured, follow that. If it gives grams, weigh the flour and the question disappears.

Making Self-Raising Flour

Self-raising flour is plain flour with raising agent and salt already mixed in. To make your own, whisk together, for each cup of plain flour, 1½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well so the baking powder is evenly spread; any lumps will leave bitter spots in the bake. Use it the same day, as baking powder gradually loses strength once mixed.

Swapping Flours

Different flours behave differently because of their protein. Bread flour has the most, forming strong gluten for chewy breads. Cake flour has the least, for tender, soft crumbs. All-purpose flour sits in between. Whole wheat flour includes the bran, which absorbs more liquid and weakens gluten, so doughs made with it often need extra water and give denser results. Almond flour contains no gluten at all and cannot simply replace wheat flour one for one.

When swapping, do it by weight rather than by cups, and expect some change in texture.

Storing Flour

Flour keeps best in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. White flour lasts for many months; whole wheat and nut flours contain oils that can turn rancid, so they are best used within a few months or kept in the fridge or freezer. Damp flour clumps and weighs more per cup, which is another reason weighing gives more consistent results than measuring by volume.

Sifting and Measuring

Some recipes call for sifted flour. The order of the words matters: "1 cup sifted flour" means sift first, then measure, which gives a lighter cup of around 100 to 110 grams. "1 cup flour, sifted" means measure first, then sift, so the full weight goes into the recipe. Weighing the flour avoids the question entirely, since sifting does not change its weight.

Flour Names Around the World

The same flour goes by different names in different countries. American all-purpose flour is close to British plain flour. Bread flour is called strong flour in the UK. Whole wheat flour is wholemeal. Cake flour, common in the US, is less easy to find elsewhere; a close substitute is plain flour with two tablespoons per cup replaced by cornflour. European flours are often labelled with numbers such as type 00, 45 or 550 that describe how finely they are milled and how much bran remains.

Understanding Your Result

Flour is the weight in grams.

In cups gives the volume, spooned and levelled, with a measurable breakdown.

In ounces gives the weight in ounces.

Self-raising substitute shows how to make the same amount of self-raising flour.

Worth knowing explains the effect of scooping or of swapping flours.

When Should You Use This Calculator?

Converting a recipe between cups and grams.

Checking a recipe that was measured by scooping.

Making self-raising flour at home.

Swapping flour types by weight.

Planning a bread bake where flour weight drives everything else.

Common Mistakes

Scooping flour straight from the bag.

Using one weight for every type of flour.

Swapping flours cup for cup.

Forgetting to sift or whisk homemade self-raising flour.

Packing flour down to fit the cup.