Egg

One US cup of egg weighs 243 grams. Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.41 cups.

Also called whole egg, beaten egg, hen egg, chicken egg.

Eggs are unusual among ingredients on this dataset because most recipes measure them by piece rather than by volume. Both USDA and King Arthur agree that one large egg edible portion weighs 50 grams, and this piece weight is the practical measurement for the great majority of egg use in cooking and baking. The cup density of 1.0271 g/ml derives from USDA's convention that 4.86 large eggs make one US cup of whole beaten egg (243 g per cup).

This is a portion count rather than a direct volume measurement: USDA counted eggs into a standard cup and averaged, and 4.86 is the empirical result rather than a rounded convention. King Arthur does not publish a cup weight for whole egg, but their piece weight matches USDA's exactly, so the cup density derived here is consistent with both sources. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service Egg Grading Manual (Agriculture Handbook 75) defines standard weight classes for shell eggs by weight per dozen: jumbo (30 oz per dozen, roughly 63 g each), extra-large (27 oz per dozen, roughly 56 g each), large (24 oz per dozen, roughly 50 g each), medium (21 oz per dozen, roughly 44 g each), small (18 oz per dozen, roughly 38 g each), and peewee (15 oz per dozen, roughly 32 g each).

These are shell-included weights; the edible portion is roughly 88 to 90 percent of shell weight, since the shell itself is 10 to 12 percent of the whole. Large is the standard baking egg in North American recipes, and the 50 g edible portion figure assumes large. Recipes calling for eggs without specifying size default to large.

Using medium eggs where large is specified means about 12 percent less egg weight, and jumbo means about 26 percent more; substituting sizes without adjusting can noticeably change the moisture and structure of baked goods, especially in small-batch recipes. Egg whites and egg yolks are covered separately. USDA FDC 172183 gives one large egg white at 33 g and King Arthur gives 30 to 35 g depending on the specific egg.

USDA FDC 172184 gives one large egg yolk at 17 g, while King Arthur's chart gives 14 g. The 21 percent yolk disagreement between the two sources reflects real biological variation more than measurement error, since yolk weight varies substantially with breed, age of hen and season, and neither source publishes the sampling methodology behind their figure. A dedicated egg white entry and egg yolk entry, when added to this dataset, will discuss these figures in more detail.

Dried egg whites, powdered eggs and egg substitutes are separate products with their own densities and are not covered here. Carton liquid eggs sold as pasteurized whole egg product are typically packaged at about 46 to 50 grams per 3-tablespoon serving, matching the fresh egg equivalent, and generally weigh 240 to 245 g per cup, close to USDA's fresh figure. Refrigerated egg whites in cartons (Egg Beaters and similar) may include stabilizers and vary slightly in density.

No standards body publishes a bulk density for whole beaten egg. The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius standards for egg products (CXS 87-1981 and successors) cover microbiological limits and composition rather than physical density. Two sources agreeing on the piece weight from which the cup density derives, so this entry is held at medium confidence until an independent third source confirms the cup portion directly.