Rotini
One US cup of rotini weighs between 84.4 and 96 grams (3 to 3.4 ounces), 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 rotini pasta, spiral pasta, spirals, corkscrew pasta, dry rotini.
Most sites print one number for a cup of rotini. This page prints 84.4 to 96 grams, because that is what USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736) and USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (spiral, rotini, enriched, dry) 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 13.8%. That is more than this site will average over, so both figures stand and neither is chosen. USDA's cup weighs 96 g and the USDA Food Buying Guide's count of 5 3/8 cups to the pound gives 84 g. The 13.7% gap is beyond the 10% tolerance for grains and pasta, and the labels split between 1/2 and 3/4 cup per serving, so the range is published rather than one figure.
| Volume | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 84.4–96 g | 3–3.4 oz |
| 3/4 cup | 63.3–72 g | 2.2–2.5 oz |
| 2/3 cup | 56.3–64 g | 2–2.3 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 42.2–48 g | 1.5–1.7 oz |
| 1/3 cup | 28.1–32 g | 0.99–1.1 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 21.1–24 g | 0.74–0.85 oz |
| 1 tablespoon | 5.3–6 g | 0.19–0.21 oz |
| 1 teaspoon | 1.8–2 g | 0.06–0.07 oz |
| Filling the cup | 1 cup | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, uncooked, poured into the cup and leveled | 96 g3.4 oz | USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736) |
| Dry, uncooked, poured into the cup and leveled | 84.4 g3 oz | USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (spiral, rotini, enriched, dry) |
Rotini ounces to grams and cups
| Weight | Grams | US cups |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28.3 g | 0.30–0.34 |
| 4 oz | 113.4 g | 1.18–1.34 |
| 8 oz | 226.8 g | 2.36–2.69 |
| 16 oz (1 lb) | 453.6 g | 4.72–5.37 |
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 rotini weighs between 84 and 96 g (3 to 3.4 oz). USDA's cup and the USDA Food Buying Guide's count are 13.7% apart, a little past the 10% tolerance for grains and pasta, so the page shows both rather than choosing one.
Rotini are short corkscrews of semolina pasta, twisted from a flat strip; fusilli are the same idea, often longer or wound differently, and US brands use the two names loosely. The grooves hold dressing and sauce, which is why rotini is the usual pasta salad shape.
USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736) lists 1 cup of rotini at 96 g. The USDA Food Buying Guide counts about 5 3/8 cups of enriched spiral (rotini) pasta to the pound, 84 g a cup. No America's Test Kitchen recipe found gives rotini by both cups and weight; its Simple Skillet Sausage Pasta lets fusilli stand in for penne at 3 3/4 cups per 12 ounces, 91 g a cup, which sits inside the range.
Labels do not settle it. Prince prints its rotini at "3/4 cup (56g)", 75 g a cup, as does Kroger's, while Barilla's measuring chart gives its rotini 1/2 cup per 2-ounce serving (113 g a cup) and its whole grain and gluten-free rotini 3/4 cup. The same 56 g is printed as a half or a three-quarter cup depending on the maker, so labels are kept as sources without a figure.
The physical check: a spiral has no hollow middle, but its open twist keeps neighbouring pieces apart. At 84 to 96 g a cup is 0.36 to 0.41 g/mL. Dry semolina pasta is about 1.4 g/mL (Biernacka and colleagues, 2018, measured raw spaghetti at 1.34 to 1.45), so the pasta fills only 25 to 29% of the cup: about the same as penne (95 g), and much less than elbow macaroni (113 to 130 g), whose short curved tubes pack closer.
Cooked: USDA weighs a cup of cooked rotini at 107 g (FDC 169737), and Barilla counts a 2-ounce serving as 1 cup cooked. Cooked pasta compresses, so a cup of it weighs more the harder it is pressed; that figure is described here rather than published.
Practical guidance: expect 84 to 96 g per cup of dry rotini, and 5 to 5 3/8 cups to a 1 lb box. Because makers disagree by half on what a cup of rotini weighs, weigh it when the amount matters: a recipe that says 8 ounces means 227 g, about 2 1/2 cups. For pasta salad, where the exact amount matters less, a level cup is close enough.
Sources
Dry, uncooked, poured into the cup and leveled — no single figure published
USDA's cup weighs 96 g and the USDA Food Buying Guide's count of 5 3/8 cups to the pound gives 84 g. The 13.7% gap is beyond the 10% tolerance for grains and pasta, and the labels split between 1/2 and 3/4 cup per serving, so the range is published rather than one figure.
- USDA SR Legacy "Pasta, dry, enriched" (FDC 169736)96 g per cup3.4 ozUSDA lists 1 cup rotini = 96 g (density 0.406 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.
- USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (spiral, rotini, enriched, dry)84.4 g per cup3 ozGrains yield table (foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov, Section 4): "Spiral (Rotini), Enriched", purchase unit pound, "1 lb dry = about 5-3/8 cups dry enriched spiral pasta", 84.4 g per cup (density 0.357 g/mL).
- Prince Rotini and other labels; Barilla measuring chart (barilla.com/en-us/help/measuring-pasta)Prince (princepasta.com): "Serving Size 3/4 cup (56g)", 8 servings (75 g per cup); Kroger rotini prints the same. Barilla's chart: "Rotini | 1/2 cup | 1 cup | 5 cups | 8 cups" (113 g per cup), with 3/4 cup for its gluten-free and whole grain rotini. 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.
SwapGenie
Scan a grocery barcode, get a better version of the same thing.
We built SwapGenie for the problem this site cannot solve: the label. It reads a barcode, scores the product against your own allergens and diet rather than a generic grade, and suggests what to buy instead. On Android now; iOS on February 15, 2027.
Coming February 15, 2027