Pounds to Cups Conversion Calculator

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1 lb = 1.917222837193 c
1 lb ≈ 1 3/4 c

How to Convert Pounds to Cups

To convert a pound measurement to a cup measurement, divide the weight multiplied by 1.917223 by the density of the ingredient or material.

You can use this simple formula to convert:

cups = pounds × 1.917223 ingredient density

Thus, the weight in cups is equal to the pounds times 1.917223, divided by the density of the ingredient or material.

For example, here's how to convert 5 pounds to cups for an ingredient with a density of 0.7 g/mL.

5 lb = 5 × 1.917223 0.7 = 13.694449 c

Pounds and cups are both commonly used to measure cooking ingredients.

For cooking applications, most chefs suggest measuring dry ingredients by weight rather than volume to improve accuracy in the measurements.[1] The density of dry ingredients can vary for a variety of reasons, such as compaction.

The best way to ensure an accurate conversion is to use a scale. When a scale is not available, a calculator like the one above is a good way to estimate the weight to volume conversion.

For cooking and baking ingredients, you can get more specific results using our butter, flour, sugar conversion calculators.

Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure.

How Many Cups are in a Pound?

The actual volume of a pound will vary depending on the density of the material. The table below shows how many cups of various wet and dry ingredients are in a pound.

Pound measurements converted to cups for commonly used ingredients.
Weight in Pounds: Volume in Cups of:
Water Milk Cooking Oil All Purpose Flour Granulated Sugar
1 lb 1.9172 c 1.8614 c 2.1787 c 3.6242 c 2.7389 c
2 lb 3.8344 c 3.7228 c 4.3573 c 7.2485 c 5.4778 c
3 lb 5.7517 c 5.5841 c 6.536 c 10.87 c 8.2167 c
4 lb 7.6689 c 7.4455 c 8.7146 c 14.5 c 10.96 c
5 lb 9.5861 c 9.3069 c 10.89 c 18.12 c 13.69 c
6 lb 11.5 c 11.17 c 13.07 c 21.75 c 16.43 c
7 lb 13.42 c 13.03 c 15.25 c 25.37 c 19.17 c
8 lb 15.34 c 14.89 c 17.43 c 28.99 c 21.91 c
9 lb 17.26 c 16.75 c 19.61 c 32.62 c 24.65 c
10 lb 19.17 c 18.61 c 21.79 c 36.24 c 27.39 c
11 lb 21.09 c 20.48 c 23.97 c 39.87 c 30.13 c
12 lb 23.01 c 22.34 c 26.14 c 43.49 c 32.87 c
13 lb 24.92 c 24.2 c 28.32 c 47.12 c 35.61 c
14 lb 26.84 c 26.06 c 30.5 c 50.74 c 38.34 c
15 lb 28.76 c 27.92 c 32.68 c 54.36 c 41.08 c
16 lb 30.68 c 29.78 c 34.86 c 57.99 c 43.82 c
17 lb 32.59 c 31.64 c 37.04 c 61.61 c 46.56 c
18 lb 34.51 c 33.5 c 39.22 c 65.24 c 49.3 c
19 lb 36.43 c 35.37 c 41.39 c 68.86 c 52.04 c
20 lb 38.34 c 37.23 c 43.57 c 72.48 c 54.78 c
21 lb 40.26 c 39.09 c 45.75 c 76.11 c 57.52 c
22 lb 42.18 c 40.95 c 47.93 c 79.73 c 60.26 c
23 lb 44.1 c 42.81 c 50.11 c 83.36 c 62.99 c
24 lb 46.01 c 44.67 c 52.29 c 86.98 c 65.73 c
25 lb 47.93 c 46.53 c 54.47 c 90.61 c 68.47 c
26 lb 49.85 c 48.4 c 56.65 c 94.23 c 71.21 c
27 lb 51.77 c 50.26 c 58.82 c 97.85 c 73.95 c
28 lb 53.68 c 52.12 c 61 c 101.48 c 76.69 c
29 lb 55.6 c 53.98 c 63.18 c 105.1 c 79.43 c
30 lb 57.52 c 55.84 c 65.36 c 108.73 c 82.17 c
31 lb 59.43 c 57.7 c 67.54 c 112.35 c 84.91 c
32 lb 61.35 c 59.56 c 69.72 c 115.98 c 87.64 c
33 lb 63.27 c 61.43 c 71.9 c 119.6 c 90.38 c
34 lb 65.19 c 63.29 c 74.07 c 123.22 c 93.12 c
35 lb 67.1 c 65.15 c 76.25 c 126.85 c 95.86 c
36 lb 69.02 c 67.01 c 78.43 c 130.47 c 98.6 c
37 lb 70.94 c 68.87 c 80.61 c 134.1 c 101.34 c
38 lb 72.85 c 70.73 c 82.79 c 137.72 c 104.08 c
39 lb 74.77 c 72.59 c 84.97 c 141.35 c 106.82 c
40 lb 76.69 c 74.46 c 87.15 c 144.97 c 109.56 c

Pounds

Pounds are a widely used unit of mass/weight in the United States. The National Bureau of Standards approved the international definition of the pound for use in the United States in 1959 after an agreement between six nations referred to as the International Yard and Pound Agreement.[2]

One pound is equal to 16 ounces, or 0.45359237 kilograms. In the avoirdupois or apothecaries' systems, one pound is equal to 7,000 grains.[3]

The pound is a US customary and imperial unit of weight. A pound is sometimes also referred to as a common ounce. Pounds can be abbreviated as lb, and are also sometimes abbreviated as lbs, lbm , or #. For example, 1 pound can be written as 1 lb, 1 lbs, 1 lbm, or 1 #.

Cups

The cup is a unit of volume equal to 16 tablespoons or 8 fluid ounces. The cup should not be confused with the metric cup or the teacup, which are different units of volume. One cup is equal to just under 236.6 milliliters, but in nutrition labeling, one cup is equal to 240 milliliters.[4]

The cup is a US customary unit of volume. Cups can be abbreviated as c, and are also sometimes abbreviated as C. For example, 1 cup can be written as 1 c or 1 C.

References

  1. National Institute of Standards & Technology, Metric Cooking Resources, https://www.nist.gov/pml/weights-and-measures/metric-cooking-resources
  2. National Bureau of Standards, Refinement of Values for the Yard and Pound, U.S. Department of Commerce, July 1, 1959, https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2017/05/09/frn-59-5442-1959.pdf
  3. Encyclopædia Britannica, Avoirdupois weight, https://www.britannica.com/science/avoirdupois-weight
  4. U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Guidance for Industry: Guidelines for Determining Metric Equivalents of Household Measures, https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-guidelines-determining-metric-equivalents-household-measures

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