How Many Cups in a Stick of Butter? The Direct Answer
One stick of butter equals exactly 1/2 cup. That is the answer for American recipes: how many cups in a stick of butter is 1/2, because a standard US stick weighs 4 ounces, or 113 grams, and contains 8 tablespoons.
Quick Answer: There are 1/2 cup in 1 stick of butter, 1 cup in 2 sticks, and 2 cups in a standard 4-stick pound of butter. To convert sticks to cups, divide by 2: cups = sticks / 2.
Butter in the United States is sold in sticks, wrapped in paper marked with tablespoon lines. Those marks make measuring easy: cut at the line, and you have an exact tablespoon, or 1/16 cup. In most other countries butter is sold by weight, so the stick-to-cup conversion is a US-specific shortcut worth learning.
Sticks of Butter to Cups Chart
| Sticks | Cups | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 stick | 1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) | 2 | 6 | 1 oz | 28 g |
| 1/2 stick | 1/4 cup | 4 | 12 | 2 oz | 57 g |
| 1 stick | 1/2 cup | 8 | 24 | 4 oz | 113 g |
| 1 1/2 sticks | 3/4 cup | 12 | 36 | 6 oz | 170 g |
| 2 sticks | 1 cup | 16 | 48 | 8 oz | 227 g |
| 3 sticks | 1 1/2 cups | 24 | 72 | 12 oz | 340 g |
| 4 sticks | 2 cups | 32 | 96 | 16 oz | 454 g |
Cups to Sticks: The Reverse Conversion
To convert cups to sticks, multiply by 2. A recipe calling for 1 cup of butter needs 2 sticks. A recipe calling for 1/4 cup needs half a stick. A recipe calling for 3/4 cup needs 1 1/2 sticks. This is the most common butter conversion in baking, where recipes switch between cups and sticks.
Butter by Tablespoons and Grams
One tablespoon of butter is 1/16 cup, 1/2 ounce, or about 14 grams. One stick, at 8 tablespoons, is therefore 1/2 cup. If a recipe gives butter in grams, use 113 grams per stick as your base: 227 grams is 2 sticks, or 1 cup. For more volume conversions, see how many cups in a quart, how many cups in a pint and how many cups in a gallon.
Melted vs Solid Butter
One stick of butter measures 1/2 cup whether it is solid or melted, because melting changes shape, not volume, in any meaningful way for cooking. The one place to be careful is measuring solid butter in a liquid measuring cup: pack it down or use the tablespoon marks on the wrapper instead, so air gaps do not short-change your recipe.
3 Mistakes to Avoid With Butter
- Confusing a stick with a pound. A pound is 4 sticks, or 2 cups, not 1 stick.
- Using European butter blocks as sticks. European butter is often sold in 250-gram blocks, which are about 2.2 sticks, not 1.
- Measuring cold, hard butter in a cup. Cut it with a knife or use the wrapper marks; do not guess by eye.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cups in a stick of butter?
1/2 cup.
How many tablespoons in a stick of butter?
8 tablespoons.
How many sticks in 1 cup of butter?
2 sticks.
How many grams in a stick of butter?
113 grams.
How many ounces in a stick of butter?
4 ounces.
How many cups in a pound of butter?
2 cups, or 4 sticks.
Conclusion
One stick of butter = 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons = 4 ounces = 113 grams. Remember that one fact, and every butter conversion follows from it.
