ExactCup

Butter Converter

US butter sticks, cups, tablespoons, grams and ounces — type any field and the rest update.

The key fact: 1 stick = ½ cup = 8 tbsp = 113.5 g = 4 oz, and a 1 lb box holds 4 sticks (2 cups, 454 g).

Butter sticks conversion chart

SticksCupsTablespoonsGramsOunces
¼ stick⅛ cup2 tbsp28.4 g1 oz
½ stick¼ cup4 tbsp56.8 g2 oz
1 stick½ cup8 tbsp113.5 g4 oz
1½ sticks¾ cup12 tbsp170.3 g6 oz
2 sticks1 cup16 tbsp227 g8 oz
2½ sticks1¼ cups20 tbsp283.8 g10 oz
3 sticks1½ cups24 tbsp340.5 g12 oz
4 sticks (1 lb)2 cups32 tbsp454 g16 oz

Cups of butter to sticks

Recipe written in cups, butter sold in sticks? Sticks are just cups doubled — every ½ cup is one stick. The awkward thirds land between the wrapper marks, so they're spelled out in spoons:

CupsSticksTablespoonsGrams
¼ cup½ stick4 tbsp56.8 g
⅓ cup⅔ stick5 tbsp + 1 tsp75.7 g
½ cup1 stick8 tbsp113.5 g
⅔ cup1⅓ sticks10 tbsp + 2 tsp151.3 g
¾ cup1½ sticks12 tbsp170.3 g
1 cup2 sticks16 tbsp227 g
1¼ cups2½ sticks20 tbsp283.8 g
1½ cups3 sticks24 tbsp340.5 g
2 cups4 sticks32 tbsp454 g

Grams of butter to sticks and cups

Metric recipe, US butter? Divide grams by 113.5 to get sticks. The classic case is the European 250 g block — just over 1 cup:

GramsSticksCupsTablespoons
50 g0.440.223.5
100 g0.880.447
125 g1.10.558.8
150 g1.320.6610.6
200 g1.760.8814.1
250 g (1 block)2.21.117.6
500 g4.412.235.2

Reading the wrapper

Every US stick wrapper is printed with 8 tablespoon marks — slice straight through wrapper and all at the line you need instead of packing soft butter into a measuring cup. Each mark is 1 tbsp ≈ 14.2 g. Long eastern-style sticks and the shorter, stubbier West Coast sticks carry the same markings and hold the same ½ cup.

Out of butter entirely? The butter to oil conversion chart shows how to replace butter with olive or vegetable oil — use ¾ of the amount — and which bakes the swap works in.

Need a different conversion?

Weighing other ingredients too? The butter cups-to-grams page has every cup fraction from ⅛ to 3 cups, and the grams to cups converter goes weight-first across 80+ ingredients. Halving a recipe with 1½ sticks in it? The recipe halving chart keeps every measure on a real spoon.

Frequently asked questions

How many cups is 1 1/2 sticks of butter?

1 1/2 sticks of butter is 3/4 cup — 12 tablespoons, about 170 grams or 6 ounces.

How many sticks is 1 1/2 cups of butter?

1 1/2 cups of butter is 3 sticks — 24 tablespoons, about 340.5 grams. Each stick is 1/2 cup, so double the cups to get sticks.

How much is half a stick of butter?

Half a stick is 1/4 cup — 4 tablespoons, about 57 grams or 2 ounces. On the wrapper, that's the line at the 4-tablespoon mark.

Is a stick of butter 4 ounces?

Yes — one US stick weighs 4 ounces (1/4 pound, 113.5 g). It also measures 1/2 cup by volume. A standard 1 lb box holds 4 sticks.

How many tablespoons are in a stick of butter?

8 tablespoons. US wrappers print the tablespoon marks, so you can slice off exactly what you need — each tablespoon is about 14.2 grams.

How many sticks is 250 g of butter (a European block)?

250 g is about 2.2 sticks — just over 1 cup (1.1 cups, or 1 cup plus roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons).

How many sticks is 200 g of butter?

200 g is almost exactly 1 3/4 sticks (1 3/4 sticks = 198.6 g) — that's 14 tablespoons, or just under 1 cup.

What is 2/3 cup of butter in sticks?

2/3 cup is 1 1/3 sticks — 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, about 151 grams. It's easiest to take 1 stick plus a third of a second one (cut at just past the 5-tbsp mark).

Does melted butter measure the same as solid butter?

By weight, identical — melting changes nothing. By volume it's very close: 1 cup of solid butter yields roughly 1 cup melted. Recipes mean the state written: "1/2 cup butter, melted" = measure solid, then melt.

Why are some butter sticks short and fat?

Both shapes hold exactly the same amount — 1/2 cup, 113.5 g. The long thin "Elgin" stick is standard in the eastern US; many West Coast dairies use a shorter, stubbier mold. The wrapper markings still divide it into 8 tablespoons.

Do these conversions work for European butter?

Yes for measuring — a gram is a gram. European-style butters (Kerrygold, Plugrá) have a bit more butterfat (82–84% vs the US minimum 80%), which matters for flavor, not for conversion. A US-sold 8 oz half-pound block is exactly 2 sticks; a 250 g block is about 2.2 sticks.

How many sticks of butter are in a pound?

4 sticks. One pound of butter is 2 cups, or 454 g — so a US 1 lb box (4 sticks) equals 2 cups.