A recipe asks for 3/4 of a stick of butter. The butter in your fridge is a block with no markings, or it is a UK pack measured in grams. Or you have a tablespoon in your hand and no idea how much that is.
A US stick of butter is simple once you know the numbers, and this butter calculator does the arithmetic for you. Enter the amount you have, pick the unit, and see it in every other unit at once.
How to use the Butter Calculator#
- Enter the amount. Type how much butter you have. A half stick is 0.5.
- Choose what you have. Pick sticks, cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, grams, ounces, pounds or millilitres.
- Choose the answer unit. Pick the unit you want first. The rest are listed underneath.
- Read the result. Use the grams value with a scale for the most accurate result.
How much is a stick of butter?#
A standard US stick of butter weighs 4 ounces, which is about 113 grams. It equals 8 tablespoons, 24 teaspoons or half a cup. Four sticks make a pound, and two sticks make one cup. In the United States and Canada the wrapper is marked in tablespoons, so you can cut off exactly the amount a recipe needs without a scale.
Outside North America butter is usually sold by weight, in blocks of 250 grams or 500 grams. A 250 gram block is a little over two US sticks, at about 2.2.
Butter conversion chart#
| Sticks | Tablespoons | Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 stick | 2 tbsp | 1/8 cup | 28 g | 1 oz |
| 1/2 stick | 4 tbsp | 1/4 cup | 57 g | 2 oz |
| 1 stick | 8 tbsp | 1/2 cup | 113 g | 4 oz |
| 2 sticks | 16 tbsp | 1 cup | 227 g | 8 oz |
| 4 sticks | 32 tbsp | 2 cups | 454 g | 1 lb |
Ounces and grams are rounded. Use a scale for baking where you can, because a cup of butter can vary with how firmly it is packed and how soft it is.
Why weight beats volume for butter#
Butter is a solid at fridge temperature and a liquid when melted, so a measuring cup is awkward and often inaccurate. Packing cold butter into a cup traps air gaps. Melted butter in a cup is a different volume from the same butter solid. The weight of the butter never changes, though, which is why the calculator uses grams as its base. Cut by the wrapper marks or weigh it, and you get the same amount every time.
The density used here is about 0.96 grams per millilitre, which matches the 227 grams per US cup listed in standard baking charts, including the weight chart from King Arthur Baking.
Salted, unsalted and other types#
Salted and unsalted butter weigh the same, so the conversions above work for both. The difference is in the recipe: salted butter adds salt, and the amount varies by brand, so most bakers prefer unsalted and add salt themselves. In the United States, butter must contain at least 80 percent milk fat, with the rest mostly water. European style butter has a higher fat content, often 82 to 85 percent, and that changes texture slightly but not the weight conversions. Whipped butter is different. It has air beaten in, so a cup of it weighs much less, and you should measure it by weight.
Cutting butter without a scale#
On a US stick, find the tablespoon lines and cut straight down at the line. For one tablespoon, cut at the first mark. If you only have a block without markings, remember that one stick is about 113 grams, and divide the block by eye: a quarter of a stick is 28 grams, which is about two tablespoons. Softened butter is easier to measure in a spoon, but pack it in firmly and level it with a knife.
Storing and softening butter#
Butter keeps for a few weeks in the fridge and for months in the freezer if it is wrapped well, since it picks up smells from other food. Many recipes ask for softened butter, meaning butter that gives slightly when pressed but still holds its shape. Cut it into pieces and leave it out for 30 to 60 minutes, rather than microwaving it, which tends to melt the edges and ruin the creaming. The weight is the same cold or soft, so the conversions in the calculator hold either way. If a recipe says room temperature butter, the target is a cool kitchen, around 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 20 Celsius).
Frequently asked questions#
Eight tablespoons. A stick is also half a cup, 24 teaspoons and 4 ounces.
A US stick is 4 ounces, which is about 113 grams.
Two. One cup of butter is 16 tablespoons, 227 grams or 8 ounces.
Four sticks make a pound.
About 2.2 sticks. A 250 gram block is slightly more than two US sticks.
Almost, but solid butter packs with small gaps, so melted butter by volume is a little more by weight. For baking, weigh the butter before you melt it.
Sources and further reading#
- King Arthur Baking: Ingredient Weight Chart. Weights per cup for flour, sugar, butter, honey and more.
- USDA FoodData Central. Food composition and household measure weights.
- Wikipedia: Butter. Overview of milk fat content and butter types.
- NIST Special Publication 811: Guide for the Use of the International System of Units. Exact definitions of the inch, pound, ounce and the units derived from them.