Quick Answer:
- 1 ounce = 28.35 grams (exactly)
- 4 oz (1 stick butter) = 113g
- 8 oz (1 cream cheese block) = 227g
- 16 oz (1 pound) = 454g
How Many Grams in an Ounce?
You've found the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe from your favorite American food blogger, but your digital kitchen scale only displays grams. Or perhaps you're an American baker discovering the precision of European recipes. This converter is your bridge between baking traditions, helping you achieve consistent, professional results every time.
Quick Answer: 1 ounce = 28.35 grams
For baking, you can round to 28g for most recipes, but use exact conversions for small quantities of leavening agents.
Why Use Grams Instead of Ounces for Baking?
Understanding weight conversions transforms your baking from guesswork to guaranteed success. Here's why professional bakers worldwide prefer grams:
Precision Matters
In baking, 5 grams can mean the difference between chewy and crispy cookies. Grams give you control over texture and consistency.
Scale Recipes Easily
Need to double a recipe? With grams, it's simple math. No more puzzling over "2/3 of 3/4 cup" calculations.
Faster Workflow
Place bowl on scale, zero it, add ingredient to exact weight. No measuring cups to wash!
Ounces to Grams Conversion Chart for Baking
Master these common conversions and you'll navigate any American recipe with confidence:
🧈 Butter Conversions
- 1 stick (1/2 cup): 4 oz = 113g
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup): 2 oz = 57g
- 2 sticks (1 cup): 8 oz = 227g
- 1 tablespoon: 0.5 oz = 14g
🧀 Cream Cheese
- 1 block (standard): 8 oz = 227g
- 1/3 less fat block: 8 oz = 227g
- Small package: 3 oz = 85g
- For cheesecake (2 blocks): 16 oz = 454g
🌾 Flour Power
- All-purpose flour: 1 oz = 28g
- Bread flour: 1 oz = 28g
- Cake flour: 1 oz = 28g (but lighter, so same weight = more volume)
- Note: 1 cup flour ≈ 4.4 oz (125g) when properly measured
🍫 Chocolate
- 1 baking square: 1 oz = 28g
- Chocolate chips (1 cup): 6 oz = 170g
- Cocoa powder (1 cup): 3 oz = 85g
- Chocolate bar (standard): 3.5 oz = 100g
Pro Baker's Tip
When converting American recipes, remember that ingredients like brown sugar and flour can vary significantly in weight depending on how they're measured (scooped vs. spooned, packed vs. loose). When precision matters, always go by weight!
Common Mistakes When Converting Oz to Grams
Confusing Fluid Ounces with Weight Ounces
8 fl oz of milk (volume) is NOT the same as 8 oz by weight. Fluid ounces measure volume; our converter handles weight. For liquids, use our ml to cups converter.
Not Accounting for Ingredient Density
While 1 oz always equals 28.35g, different ingredients have different densities. 1 cup of flour weighs much less than 1 cup of honey. Always convert by weight, not volume.
Rounding Too Aggressively
While rounding 28.35g to 28g is fine for flour or sugar, be precise with leavening agents. 1 oz of baking powder should be exactly 28.35g for best results.
Baking Clinic: Common Conversion Questions
My American cheesecake recipe calls for 24 oz cream cheese. How many packages is that?
Diagnosis: Standard cream cheese blocks in the US are 8 oz each, which equals 227g per block.
Solution: You need exactly 3 blocks (24 oz = 680g total). Pro tip: Let them come to room temperature for 2 hours before mixing to avoid lumps!
I converted all the ounces to grams perfectly, but my cookies still spread too much!
Diagnosis: Perfect conversion is just the start. American recipes often use different butter (lower fat content) and flour (different protein levels) than European equivalents.
Solution: If using European butter (82-85% fat vs American 80%), reduce by 5-10g per stick. For flour, check if the recipe specifies bread flour (higher protein) or cake flour (lower protein) and adjust accordingly.
The recipe says '6 oz chocolate chips' - do I really need to weigh them?
Diagnosis: Chocolate chips are usually sold by weight, and a 6 oz bag equals about 1 cup or 170g.
Solution: For cookies and casual baking, using the whole bag is fine. For tempering or ganache where ratios matter, weigh precisely. Our rule: weigh for chemistry (cakes, bread), measure for mix-ins (chips, nuts).
How to Scale Recipes Using Gram Measurements
Once you convert to grams, scaling recipes becomes simple mathematics:
Example: Scaling Chocolate Chip Cookies
Original (12 cookies)
- 8 oz (227g) butter
- 10 oz (284g) flour
- 7 oz (200g) sugar
- 6 oz (170g) chocolate chips
Doubled (24 cookies)
- 454g butter
- 568g flour
- 400g sugar
- 340g chocolate chips
Halved (6 cookies)
- 113g butter
- 142g flour
- 100g sugar
- 85g chocolate chips
See how easy that was? Try this with cups and fractions—it's a nightmare!
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Try Baker's Math →Frequently Asked Questions
How many grams are in 1 ounce for baking?
Exactly 28.349523125 grams equals 1 ounce, but for baking, we round to 28.35g. For most recipes, even 28g works fine, but be precise with leavening agents like baking powder or yeast where small amounts matter.
What's the most common oz to grams conversion in baking?
The most frequent conversions are: 4 oz = 113g (1 stick of butter), 8 oz = 227g (1 block cream cheese or 2 sticks butter), and 16 oz = 454g (1 pound, common for flour and sugar in bulk).
Should I convert fluid ounces the same way as weight ounces?
No! This is the #1 mistake in recipe conversion. Fluid ounces measure volume, not weight. 8 fluid ounces of water weighs about 237g, but 8 fluid ounces of honey weighs about 340g. For liquids, convert to milliliters instead (1 fl oz = 30ml).
Why do professional bakers prefer grams over ounces?
Grams offer superior precision (no fractions), easier scaling (simple multiplication), and eliminate the cup-measuring variables that can vary by 20-30%. Professional bakeries worldwide use grams because consistency equals quality.
My grandmother's recipe card has worn off - is 1/2 cup butter 4 oz or 8 oz?
1/2 cup of butter equals 1 stick, which is 4 oz or 113g. A full cup of butter is 2 sticks = 8 oz = 227g. This is standard across all American recipes.