Baking powder
One US cup of baking powder weighs between 192 and 220.8 grams, depending on how the cup is filled and which source measured it. That range is the answer; a single number would not be. Every figure behind it is below, with the method each source used.
Most sites print one number for a cup of baking powder. This page prints 192 to 220.8 grams, because that is what USDA FoodData Central and King Arthur actually measured, and it names the method behind every figure rather than picking a favourite.
Two or more sources describe the same way of filling the cup and still disagree, by 15.0%. That is more than this site will average over, so both figures stand and neither is chosen. Sources disagree by 13% (KA 0.8116 g/mL vs USDA 0.9333 g/mL), over the 10% milled category tolerance. USDA's figure is for one specific formulation (SAS-phosphate double-acting); other formulations may weigh differently. Published as a range.
| Volume | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 192–220.8 g |
| 3/4 cup | 144–165.6 g |
| 2/3 cup | 128–147.2 g |
| 1/2 cup | 96–110.4 g |
| 1/3 cup | 64–73.6 g |
| 1/4 cup | 48–55.2 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 12–13.8 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 4–4.6 g |
| Filling the cup | 1 cup | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 220.8 g | USDA FoodData Central |
| Standard | 192 g | King Arthur |
Why this page publishes a range
Like baking soda, baking powder is almost always measured by the teaspoon rather than the cup, and the sources publish teaspoon figures that we extrapolate up. Unlike baking soda, baking powder is not a single substance but a mixture: sodium bicarbonate plus one or more acidic agents, typically with a starch buffer to prevent premature reaction. Different formulations have different densities. This entry describes the general behaviour rather than any specific product.
USDA FoodData Central publishes 1 teaspoon = 4.6 grams for the sodium aluminum sulfate double-acting formulation (FDC 172803, Leavening agents, baking powder, double-acting, sodium aluminum sulfate). This is the composition most commonly sold in supermarkets under names like Clabber Girl and Calumet. It extrapolates to 220.8 grams per cup and a bulk density of 0.9333 grams per millilitre.
King Arthur's chart publishes 1 teaspoon = 4 grams without naming a formulation. That extrapolates to 192 grams per cup and a bulk density of 0.8116 grams per millilitre. King Arthur publishes only to the whole gram, so 4 grams rounded implies a real value between 3.5 and 4.5 grams per teaspoon.
The 13 percent spread between the two figures is over the 10 percent tolerance for our milled category, so we publish the range rather than a single number. The cup range is 192 to 221 grams.
Different commercial baking powders can weigh differently because the acid component and the amount of starch buffer differ. Rumford and Bob's Red Mill are aluminum-free, using calcium acid pyrophosphate or monocalcium phosphate instead of sodium aluminum sulfate. USDA has separate entries for the straight-phosphate and low-sodium formulations, though neither publishes a teaspoon weight in the same detail. For a home baker who knows their brand, weighing an actual teaspoon of that specific product is more accurate than either source figure.
Baking powder should not be confused with baking soda. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate; baking powder contains it as one component alongside acids. A recipe calling for baking powder cannot substitute the same weight of baking soda without adding an acid, and the reverse substitution over-leavens because baking powder contains only a fraction of the sodium bicarbonate a recipe expects. The two entries on this site are separate for that reason.
The Food Chemicals Codex covers the individual chemical components of baking powder (sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate) but does not publish a density for the mixture as a food product.
The practical implication of the source disagreement is small for recipes calling for teaspoons of baking powder. It becomes meaningful only when a recipe specifies baking powder by cup or by weight, or when a recipe scales up from small quantities into larger ones. In those cases, knowing which source the recipe used matters.
The category here is 'milled' — a fine powder that clumps and bridges, with the same 10 percent tolerance we apply to cocoa, cornstarch and almond flour.
Sources
Standard — no single figure published
Sources disagree by 13% (KA 0.8116 g/mL vs USDA 0.9333 g/mL), over the 10% milled category tolerance. USDA's figure is for one specific formulation (SAS-phosphate double-acting); other formulations may weigh differently. Published as a range.
- USDA FoodData Central220.8 g per cupFDC 172803 (Leavening agents, baking powder, double-acting, sodium aluminum sulfate). 1 tsp = 4.6 g published directly, extrapolates to 220.8 g per cup.
- King Arthur192 g per cupIngredient Weight Chart. 1 tsp = 4 g (rounded to the nearest gram), extrapolates to 192 g per cup. King Arthur does not specify formulation.
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