Balsamic vinegar
One US cup of balsamic vinegar weighs between 255 and 269.7 grams (9 to 9.5 ounces), depending on the brand or product and which source measured it. Use 259 grams (9.1 ounces) for an everyday supermarket balsamic vinegar of Modena. Every figure behind it is below, with the method each source used.
Also called balsamic vinegar of Modena, aceto balsamico di Modena, balsamic, Modena balsamic vinegar, IGP balsamic vinegar.
Most sites print one number for a cup of balsamic vinegar. This page prints 255 to 269.7 grams, because that is what USDA SR Legacy "Vinegar, balsamic" (FDC 172241), Episaveurs Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP, 1 L (Pomona technical sheet), Roland Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, 9 × 33.8 fl oz case (rolandfoods.com) and Maille Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, 0.50 L (Pomona technical sheet) actually measured, and it names the method behind every figure rather than picking a favourite.
Two or more sources measured this kind of product and still disagree, by 5.8%. That is more than this site will average over, so all the figures stand and none is chosen. Balsamic vinegar of Modena is made at different strengths of grape must, and its rules set only a minimum density of 1.06 g/mL. The products weighed here run from 1.078 to 1.14 g/mL, 5.8% apart, more than the 5% that one figure can cover for a liquid, so the range is shown with a working figure for an everyday bottle.
| Volume | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 255–269.7 g | 9–9.5 oz |
| 3/4 cup | 191.2–202.3 g | 6.7–7.1 oz |
| 2/3 cup | 170–179.8 g | 6–6.3 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 127.5–134.9 g | 4.5–4.8 oz |
| 1/3 cup | 85–89.9 g | 3–3.2 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 63.7–67.4 g | 2.2–2.4 oz |
| 1 tablespoon | 15.9–16.9 g | 0.56–0.59 oz |
| 1 teaspoon | 5.3–5.6 g | 0.19–0.20 oz |
| Filling the cup | 1 cup | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP), at room temperature | 255 g9 oz | USDA SR Legacy "Vinegar, balsamic" (FDC 172241) |
| Balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP), at room temperature | 259.1 g9.1 oz | Episaveurs Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP, 1 L (Pomona technical sheet) |
| Balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP), at room temperature | 265 g9.3 oz | Roland Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, 9 × 33.8 fl oz case (rolandfoods.com) |
| Balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP), at room temperature | 269.7 g9.5 oz | Maille Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, 0.50 L (Pomona technical sheet) |
Balsamic vinegar ounces to grams and cups
| Weight | Grams | US cups |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28.3 g | 0.11 |
| 4 oz | 113.4 g | 0.42–0.44 |
| 8 oz | 226.8 g | 0.84–0.89 |
| 16 oz (1 lb) | 453.6 g | 1.68–1.78 |
Compared side by side
Condiments and sauces compared: cup weights side by side, the source behind each, and why they differ.
Why this page publishes a range
A cup of balsamic vinegar of Modena weighs between 255 and 269.7 g (9 to 9.5 oz), a density of 1.08 to 1.14 g/mL, depending on how much grape must the producer uses. For an everyday supermarket bottle use 259 g per cup and 16.2 g per tablespoon. USDA weighs a cup at 255 g, a 1-litre IGP balsamic is specified at 1.095 g/mL, and Maille's half-litre bottle holds 570 g. Norway's food composition table weighs balsamic like water, which its own sugar and the legal minimum both rule out.
Balsamic vinegar of Modena, protected as an IGP in the EU, is cooked grape must blended with wine vinegar and matured in wooden casks. The must brings sugar, colour and body, and the more of it a producer uses, the sweeter, thicker and heavier the vinegar. Its rules set a minimum density of 1.06 g/mL at 20 °C for ordinary balsamic, 1.15 for aged balsamic ("invecchiato") and 1.25 for "riserva", with at least 6% acidity. Traditional balsamic vinegar (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale), made from must alone and aged for twelve years or more, is a different product, closer to a syrup.
Sugar decides the weight. USDA's Standard Reference record for balsamic vinegar (FDC 172241) lists 76.5 g of water, 17 g of carbohydrate and 14.9 g of sugars per 100 g, and weighs a cup at 255 g, 1.078 g/mL, which is what a solution with about 17% solids weighs. Episaveurs' IGP balsamic, with 18 g of sugars per 100 mL, is specified at a density of 1.095, 259.1 g per cup. Roland's foodservice balsamic packs 22.22 lb into nine 33.8 fl oz bottles, 1.120 g/mL or 265.1 g per cup, and Maille's 0.5-litre bottle has a net weight of 570 g, 1.14 g/mL or 269.7 g per cup.
Those products are 5.8% apart, more than the 5% tolerance this site allows for one liquid figure, and the spread is real: balsamic is sold in grades of strength, not one recipe. So the range is shown, with 259 g, Episaveurs' specified density, as the working figure for an everyday bottle. The sugars line on the label is the best guide: more sugar per serving means a heavier vinegar.
Matvaretabellen, the Norwegian food composition table, gives a decilitre of balsamic vinegar as 100 g and a tablespoon as 11 g. A decilitre at 100 g is water's weight, below the 1.06 g/mL that the IGP rules require and below what the table's own 15 g of sugar per 100 g weighs; an 11 g tablespoon would make balsamic lighter than olive oil. The figure is rejected and has its own correction page.
Practical guidance: use 259 g per cup, 65 g per quarter cup, 16.2 g per tablespoon and 5.4 g per teaspoon for an everyday balsamic, and up to 270 g per cup for a thick, sweet one. Balsamic glaze and crema, reduced and often thickened, are syrups and weigh far more.
Sources
Balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP), at room temperature — no single figure published
Balsamic vinegar of Modena is made at different strengths of grape must, and its rules set only a minimum density of 1.06 g/mL. The products weighed here run from 1.078 to 1.14 g/mL, 5.8% apart, more than the 5% that one figure can cover for a liquid, so the range is shown with a working figure for an everyday bottle.
- USDA SR Legacy "Vinegar, balsamic" (FDC 172241)255 g per cup9 ozUSDA Standard Release (NDB 02069) publishes 1 cup = 255 g (1.078 g/mL). Per 100 g: water 76.5 g, carbohydrate 17.0 g, sugars 14.9 g, sodium 23 mg.
- Episaveurs Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP, 1 L (Pomona technical sheet)259.1 g per cup9.1 oz"Vinaigre balsamique de Modène IGP en bouteille 1 L": "Densité 1.095 (+/- 0.005)", net weight 1.095 kg per 1 L bottle, acetic acidity 6.15%, sugars 18 g per 100 mL. 259.1 g per US cup.
- Roland Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, 9 × 33.8 fl oz case (rolandfoods.com)265 g per cup9.3 ozItem 70568: 9 units per carton, unit size 33.8 fl oz, "Case Net Weight (lb) 22.22", case gross 33 lb. 10,079 g in 8,996 mL is 1.120 g/mL, 265.1 g per US cup.
- Maille Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, 0.50 L (Pomona technical sheet)269.7 g per cup9.5 oz"Vinaigre balsamique de Modène en bouteille 0,50 L MAILLE": Volume 0.5 L, net weight (Poids net) 0.57 kg, gross 0.949 kg. 1.14 g/mL, 269.7 g per US cup.
- Consorzio Tutela Aceto Balsamico di Modena, production specification (Disciplinare IGP, 2025), Article 2"density at 20°C: not less than 1.06 for the refined product and not less than 1.15 for the «invecchiato» product", 1.25 for «riserva»; "minimum total acidity: 6 percent for the refined product". A legal minimum, 250.8 g per US cup for ordinary balsamic, not a measurement of any product.
- Matvaretabellen (Norwegian Food Composition Table), balsamic vinegar (10.129)236.6 g per cup8.3 oz"1 decilitre (100 grams)", "1 teaspoon (5 grams)", "1 tablespoon (11 grams)". 100 g per 100 mL is 1.000 g/mL, 236.6 g per US cup; the 11 g tablespoon would be 0.74 g/mL. Water 85.0 g, sugars 15 g per 100 g.Rejected. Balsamic vinegar of Modena may not be sold under that name below a density of 1.06 g/mL at 20 °C, and the table's own composition rules out water's weight: 15 g of sugar per 100 g weighs about 1.06 g/mL on its own, before the acid and grape solids. 100 g per decilitre is what water weighs, and the table's 11 g tablespoon would make balsamic lighter than olive oil. Measured balsamics weigh 1.078 to 1.14 g/mL.
Corrections on this ingredient
The following published figures for balsamic vinegar are rejected here, with the physics or standards reasoning behind each rejection on its own page:
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