Pears (fresh)

One US cup of pears (fresh) weighs between 140 and 163 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.

Also called fresh pears, pears, diced pears, sliced pears, chopped pears, pears peeled diced, pears peeled sliced.

Fresh pears follow the same state-mismatch pattern documented in the peaches-fresh entry, and the range publish is required for the same reason. USDA SR Legacy publishes 1 cup sliced at 140 grams consistently across Bartlett, Bosc, and Green Anjou cultivar records, giving density 0.5917 g/mL. King Arthur publishes 1 cup peeled and diced at 163 grams, giving density 0.6889 g/mL. The 16.4% gap between them is well over the 10% milled tolerance, so this entry publishes the range 140 to 163 g/cup rather than picking a single figure.

The gap direction and magnitude are consistent with the pears-are-firmer-than-peaches physical intuition. Sliced pear wedges are thin curved pieces cut from around the core, and they stack irregularly with substantial interstitial air between the curved surfaces. Diced pears are compact cuboid pieces that stack against each other more efficiently. The same fruit, cut two different ways, packs at 140 g/cup sliced and 163 g/cup diced, roughly 16% denser when diced. This is the same physics documented in peaches-fresh (154 sliced versus 170 diced, 10% denser diced) but with a larger effect for pears because pear flesh is firmer and more grit-cell-dense than peach flesh, so the dice hold their cuboid shape better and pack tighter.

USDA's cultivar convergence is the more interesting finding. Three separate cultivar records (Bartlett, Bosc, Green Anjou) independently publish 1 cup sliced at exactly 140 grams, despite the cultivars having different flesh density, water content, and calorie counts per 100 grams (Bartlett 57 kcal/100g, Bosc 67 kcal/100g, Green Anjou 66 kcal/100g). That the packing density is identical across cultivars while the per-mass composition varies tells us the 140 g figure is dominated by cut geometry and standard measurement methodology rather than by cultivar-specific flesh properties. An older generic 'Pears, raw' record (NDB 09252, released before the cultivar-specific records) implies a cup portion around 168 g through back-calculation, higher than the cultivar consensus, likely because it used an older portion-measurement standard.

Compared to the site's other fresh cut fruit entries, pears sliced at 140 g/cup fit between apple slices (109 g/cup, lightest cut fruit because slices are thin) and peaches sliced (154 g/cup). Pears diced at 163 g/cup sit between fresh pineapple diced (165) and peaches diced (170). The overall pattern is that fresh cut fruit at cup measurement lands in a fairly narrow density band from about 100 to 175 g/cup, with the specific value determined by cut geometry rather than the fruit's underlying flesh density.

Category assignment is milled, following the fresh cut fruit precedent established by apple-slices, pineapple-diced, strawberries-sliced, peaches-fresh, and the fresh berry entries. Solid water-containing pieces whose packing depends on shape and fill method belong here rather than in sugar, which is reserved for small crystalline or particulate solids like sugars, salts, chocolate chips, and small dried fruits such as raisins and currants. Pears at any cut are too large and geometrically complex for the sugar category.

Ripeness affects pears less dramatically than peaches because pear flesh remains firm even when ripe, unlike peach flesh which softens noticeably. Very ripe pears develop a buttery mouthfeel but still hold their cut shape in a cup. This means the published range holds reasonably well across the ripeness spectrum that most bakers actually use, from firm just-yielding fruit to fully ripe eating-quality pears. Underripe pears cut cleanly and pack slightly looser because the pieces are more rigid; overripe pears compress and release juice, packing slightly denser.

Confidence is low because the two authoritative sources measure different cut states and their figures differ by 16.4%, well over the milled tolerance. This is not sourcing weakness. USDA has extensive cultivar-level data agreement at 140 g/cup sliced, and King Arthur publishes an equally authoritative 163 g/cup diced. The range publish is honest about the reality that a 'cup of pears' can mean two different masses depending on the cut, and both are correct for their respective states.