Elbow macaroni
One US cup of elbow macaroni weighs between 113 and 129.6 grams (4 to 4.6 ounces), depending on how the cup is filled and which source measured it. Use 113 grams (4 ounces) for regular elbow macaroni. Every figure behind it is below, with the method each source used.
Also called elbows, macaroni, elbow pasta, dry elbow macaroni, uncooked macaroni, macaroni noodles.
Most sites print one number for a cup of elbow macaroni. This page prints 113 to 129.6 grams, because that is what USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736), USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (elbow macaroni, regular, enriched, dry) and America's Test Kitchen, Cheeseburger Mac and American Chop Suey 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 14.7%. That is more than this site will average over, so all the figures stand and none is chosen. USDA's cup weighs 122 g, the USDA Food Buying Guide's count of 3 1/2 cups to the pound gives 130 g, and America's Test Kitchen's 2 cups to 8 ounces gives 113 g. The 14% spread is beyond the 10% tolerance for grains and pasta, so the range is published rather than one figure.
| Volume | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 113–129.6 g | 4–4.6 oz |
| 3/4 cup | 84.7–97.2 g | 3–3.4 oz |
| 2/3 cup | 75.3–86.4 g | 2.7–3 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 56.5–64.8 g | 2–2.3 oz |
| 1/3 cup | 37.7–43.2 g | 1.3–1.5 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 28.2–32.4 g | 1.00–1.1 oz |
| 1 tablespoon | 7.1–8.1 g | 0.25–0.29 oz |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.4–2.7 g | 0.08–0.10 oz |
| Filling the cup | 1 cup | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, uncooked, poured into the cup and leveled | 122 g4.3 oz | USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736) |
| Dry, uncooked, poured into the cup and leveled | 129.6 g4.6 oz | USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (elbow macaroni, regular, enriched, dry) |
| Dry, uncooked, poured into the cup and leveled | 113 g4 oz | America's Test Kitchen, Cheeseburger Mac and American Chop Suey |
Elbow macaroni ounces to grams and cups
| Weight | Grams | US cups |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28.3 g | 0.22–0.25 |
| 4 oz | 113.4 g | 0.87–1.00 |
| 8 oz | 226.8 g | 1.75–2.01 |
| 16 oz (1 lb) | 453.6 g | 3.50–4.01 |
Compared side by side
Dry pasta and noodles compared: cup weights side by side, the source behind each, and why they differ.
Why this page publishes a range
A cup of dry elbow macaroni weighs between 113 and 130 g (4 to 4.6 oz). Use 113 g for regular elbows: America's Test Kitchen counts 2 cups to 8 ounces in two recipes, and the labels on most US elbow macaroni print 1/2 cup for each 56 g serving, the same weight.
Elbow macaroni is short, curved, hollow tubes of durum wheat semolina pasta, the shape of macaroni and cheese and macaroni salad. Small and large elbows are sold as well, and the size changes how many pieces fit in a cup.
USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736) lists 1 cup of elbows at 122 g. The USDA Food Buying Guide counts about 3 1/2 cups of regular enriched elbow macaroni to the pound, 130 g a cup. America's Test Kitchen gives 8 ounces as 2 cups in its Cheeseburger Mac and 12 ounces as 3 cups in its American Chop Suey, 113 g a cup either way. The three are 14% apart, past the 10% this site allows for grains and pasta, so the page shows the range. An older USDA record, "Macaroni, dry, enriched" (NDB 20099), gave 105 g per cup of elbows; the current record replaced it.
Labels agree with the light end. Prince prints "1/2 cup (56g)" on its 16-ounce box, retailer listings for Ronzoni, San Giorgio, De Cecco, Skinner and Kroger elbows print the same, and Barilla's measuring chart gives 1/2 cup per 2-ounce serving. Pasta labels state a fixed 56 g serving and round the cup to the nearest common fraction, so they are kept as sources without a figure, but every one of them points to about 112 g a cup.
The physical check: dry semolina pasta is dense. Biernacka and colleagues (2018, International Agrophysics) measured raw spaghetti at 1.34 to 1.45 g/mL. A cup of elbows at 113 to 130 g, 0.48 to 0.55 g/mL, is only 35 to 40% pasta; the rest is the hollow inside each tube and the gaps the curves leave between pieces. How much the cup is shaken decides which end you get, because curved pieces settle into each other's gaps.
Cooked: USDA weighs a cup of cooked elbows at 120 g loosely filled and 132 g packed (FDC 169737), and Health Canada gives cooked macaroni as 148 g per 250 mL, about 140 g a US cup. Barilla counts a 2-ounce serving as 1 1/8 cups cooked. Cooked pasta compresses, so those figures are described here rather than published.
Practical guidance: use 113 g per cup of dry elbow macaroni, 57 g per half cup; a 1 lb box holds about 4 cups. For macaroni and cheese, weigh the pasta: 8 ounces (227 g) is four 2-ounce servings, about 2 cups dry, and cooks to about 4 1/2 cups by Barilla's count.
Sources
Dry, uncooked, poured into the cup and leveled — no single figure published
USDA's cup weighs 122 g, the USDA Food Buying Guide's count of 3 1/2 cups to the pound gives 130 g, and America's Test Kitchen's 2 cups to 8 ounces gives 113 g. The 14% spread is beyond the 10% tolerance for grains and pasta, so the range is published rather than one figure.
- USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736)122 g per cup4.3 ozUSDA lists 1 cup elbows = 122 g (density 0.516 g/mL). Portion names as listed by getfoodfacts.com for FDC 169736 ("1 cup elbows (122g)" shown there), gram weights for every shape as listed by Prospre from the same USDA record: 1 cup spaghetti 91 g, elbows 122 g, penne 95 g, farfalle 81 g, rotini 96 g, shells 64 g, lasagna 90 g. Water 9.90 g per 100 g. An older record, "Macaroni, dry, enriched" (NDB 20099), gave 1 cup elbow shaped = 105 g.
- USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (elbow macaroni, regular, enriched, dry)129.6 g per cup4.6 ozGrains yield table (foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov, Section 4): "Elbow Macaroni, Regular, Enriched", purchase unit pound, "1 lb dry = about 3-1/2 cups dry enriched elbow macaroni", 129.6 g per cup (density 0.548 g/mL).
- America's Test Kitchen, Cheeseburger Mac and American Chop Suey113 g per cup4 ozCheeseburger Mac: "8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni"; American Chop Suey: "12 ounces (3 cups) elbow macaroni". Both 113.4 g per cup, entered as the round 113 g (density 0.478 g/mL).
- Prince Elbow Macaroni and other labels; Barilla measuring chart (barilla.com/en-us/help/measuring-pasta)Prince (princepasta.com): "Serving Size 1/2 cup (56g)", 8 servings, 16 oz (112 g per cup). Barilla's chart: "Elbows | 1/2 cup | 1-1/8 cups | 4 cups | 9 cups" (2-ounce serving, cooked, uncooked per package, cooked per package). Retailer listings for Ronzoni, San Giorgio, De Cecco, Skinner and Kroger elbows also print 1/2 cup per 56 g. Pasta labels and Barilla's chart give a fixed 2-ounce (56 g) serving and round its volume to a common fraction of a cup, so they are kept as sources without a figure.
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