One US stick of butter is 113 grams — that’s ½ cup, 8 tablespoons, or 4 ounces. If that’s all you needed, you’re done. If you’re staring at a recipe that says “1 stick” and a block of butter with no lines on it, the rest of this guide untangles it.
Butter conversion chart
| Amount | Sticks | Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ½ stick | ½ | ¼ cup | 4 tbsp | 57 g | 2 oz |
| 1 stick | 1 | ½ cup | 8 tbsp | 113 g | 4 oz |
| 2 sticks | 2 | 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 227 g | 8 oz |
| 4 sticks | 4 | 2 cups | 32 tbsp | 454 g | 16 oz (1 lb) |
| 1 tablespoon | ⅛ stick | — | 1 tbsp | 14 g | ½ oz |
These are the standard US figures. One tablespoon of butter is about 14 g, which is where the odd-looking numbers come from (8 × 14 ≈ 113).
Why US butter comes in “sticks”
In the US, butter is sold in ¼-pound sticks — four to a one-pound box. Each stick is wrapped in paper printed with tablespoon marks, so you can slice off exactly what you need:
- Each mark = 1 tablespoon = 14 g
- Halfway along the stick = 4 tbsp = ¼ cup = 57 g
- The whole stick = 8 tbsp = ½ cup = 113 g
Outside the US, butter is usually sold in 250 g blocks with no markings. That’s the real source of confusion — a recipe says “1 stick” and your block gives you grams. Now you know: cut a little under half of a 250 g block (113 g) and you’ve got one stick.
Cups of butter to grams
Butter is dense, so a cup weighs more than a cup of flour or sugar:
- ¼ cup butter = 57 g
- ⅓ cup butter = 76 g
- ½ cup butter = 113 g
- ¾ cup butter = 170 g
- 1 cup butter = 227 g
For any other amount, the butter cups-to-grams converter does the math for you.
Does softened or melted butter weigh differently?
No. Weight doesn’t change when butter softens or melts — 113 g of cold butter is still 113 g melted. What changes is volume: melted butter settles, so a “cup” of melted butter packs in more than a cup of solid. This is exactly why weighing beats measuring by cup — a kitchen scale removes the guesswork. Measure cold butter by the stick marks, or weigh it, and you’ll get the same result every time.
One pound, one block — quick reference
- 1 lb butter = 4 sticks = 2 cups = 454 g
- 1 European block = 250 g ≈ 2.2 sticks ≈ 1 cup + 2 tbsp
- 1 stick = 113 g = ½ cup
Measuring butter accurately
- Use the wrapper marks for solid butter — they’re accurate to the tablespoon.
- Weigh it if you’ve lost the wrapper or you’re working from a block. A scale is the one tool that makes every bake repeatable.
- Don’t pack melted butter into a cup — weigh it instead, or measure it solid before melting.
Baking with other ingredients too? The same logic applies to flour and sugar, and the printable conversion chart has every ingredient on one page you can stick to the fridge.