HowMuchIt / Cups in a pound
How many cups in a pound?
It depends on what is in the cup: a cup measures space, a pound measures weight. Butter is easy, 2 cups to the pound; flour runs 3 1/3 to 4. Pick the ingredient and convert either way.
Convert pounds and cups
| Ingredient | Cups per pound |
|---|---|
| Granulated sugar | 2 to 2.25 |
| Brown sugar, firmly packed | 2.25 to 2.5 |
| Powdered sugar, unsifted | 3.5 to 4 |
| All-purpose flour | 3.33 to 4 |
| Butter | 2 |
Flour 3.33 means 3 1/3 cups. Sources differ a little for each ingredient, so we show the range they share; a kitchen scale settles it.
Why flour is the hardest
Flour packs down. Scooped straight from the bag it fills the cup with more flour than when it is spooned in or sifted, so a pound gives between 3 1/3 and 4 cups depending on how it was measured. Sugar settles less, and most guides put a pound of granulated sugar at 2 1/4 cups. Brown sugar is measured firmly packed, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups to the pound. Powdered sugar is light: 3 1/2 to 4 cups, unsifted. For baking that has to come out the same every time, a kitchen scale is the answer.
Questions people ask
How many cups in a pound of sugar?
About 2 1/4 for granulated sugar.
Is brown sugar the same?
No: firmly packed, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups. Powdered sugar: 3 1/2 to 4.
How many cups in a pound of butter?
2: four sticks of half a cup each.
Good to know
- A pound of granulated sugar is about 2 to 2 1/4 cups; most guides say 2 1/4 (a cup weighs about 7 oz).1,2,3,4
- A pound of firmly packed brown sugar is about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups.2,3
- A pound of powdered (confectioners') sugar, unsifted, is about 3 1/2 to 4 cups.1,2,3,4
- A pound of all-purpose flour is about 3 1/3 to 4 cups, depending on how the flour is measured (sifted flour gives more cups).1,2,3,4
- A pound of butter is 4 sticks, or 2 cups (1 stick = 1/2 cup).1,2,4,5
- Cups per pound depend on the ingredient because a cup measures volume, not weight; weighing gives the most reliable result.1,6
How we checked this page
Checked on October 27, 2026. We kept a fact only when two independent publishers agree, and each one is numbered to its sources below. Where sources give different numbers, we keep only what they share. We never write a price. This page was written with an AI assistant and checked against the sources below.
Sources
- Ingredient Weight Chart, King Arthur Baking
- In a Pinch: Food Yields (MP563), University of Missouri Extension
- Ingredient Substitution (FN 255), Utah State University Cooperative Extension
- Cooking Measurement Chart: Common Kitchen Conversions and Equivalents, The Old Farmer's Almanac (Yankee Publishing)
- Measure Up! (4-H Food, Fun), Purdue Extension, Lawrence County
- Culinary Measurement Tips, NIST Office of Weights and Measures