Tomato Sauce

One US cup of tomato sauce weighs 245 grams. Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.41 cups.

Also called tomato sauce, canned tomato sauce, plain tomato sauce.

Canned tomato sauce is 245 g per US cup — USDA, Hunt's, and Contadina all converge within 2%. Density 1.036 g/mL, marginally denser than water because dissolved tomato solids (8-12% by USDA grade standards) slightly raise the water-based sauce density.\n\nTomato sauce is a specific FDA-defined product — thin, smooth, ready to use, made from tomato puree diluted to about 8-12% natural tomato soluble solids per USDA Grade A standards. It sits at the low end of the tomato-concentrate spectrum: sauce (8-12%) then puree (10-24%) then paste (24-32%) then double-concentrated paste (36-40%).

Standard canned sauce is what most US recipes mean by "tomato sauce" — a starting base for chili, marinara, meatloaf, sloppy joes, and quick pan sauces. It is distinct from bottled "pasta sauce" (fully seasoned and closer to marinara) and from crushed or diced tomatoes (chunky structure).\n\nUSDA SR Legacy "Tomato products, canned, sauce" (FDC 170054) publishes 1 cup = 245 g, density 1.036 g/mL. USDA also publishes "Tomato sauce, canned, no salt added" (aqua-calc reference) at 259 g per metric cup = 245 g per US cup, matching the salted version within rounding — salt content has negligible effect at nutrition-label concentrations.\n\nProducer labels converge tightly.

Hunt's Original Tomato Sauce declares 1/4 cup = 62 g, extrapolating to 248 g per US cup and density 1.048 g/mL. Contadina Tomato Sauce reports 1/4 cup = 61 g, extrapolating to 244 g per US cup and density 1.031 g/mL. The full-source range is 244-248 g/cup — a 1.64% spread, comfortably within the 5% liquid category tolerance.\n\nThe tight convergence reflects tomato sauce's regulated identity, similar to tomato paste.

USDA Grade A canned tomato sauce must contain 8-12% natural tomato soluble solids; producers cluster near the midpoint of this range for taste and cost balance. Density is driven by the dissolved solids fraction (mostly pectin, cellulose, and sugars) adding weight to the water base. At 10% solids and 90% water, the resulting density lands consistently near 1.04 g/mL — very close to water but reliably denser.

Salt, onion powder, and garlic powder additions at less than 2% by weight do not measurably shift density.\n\nFor validation and internal consistency, this entry publishes 245 g per US cup as a high-confidence single figure. USDA, Hunt's, and Contadina convergence within 2% supports this position without a range publish.\n\nPractical guidance: an 8-oz can holds 227 g (roughly 15/16 cup), a 15-oz can holds 425 g (about 1 3/4 cups), and a 29-oz can holds 822 g (about 3 1/3 cups). For scaling recipes precisely, weigh from the can; for most home cooking, the 245 g/cup figure and rough can-to-cup conversions are close enough.

Companion entries in the tomato family — tomato-paste at 262 g/cup (denser due to higher solids concentration) and crushed-tomatoes forthcoming — share the pattern of tight cross-source convergence driven by USDA grade regulations.\n\nKing Arthur is silent on tomato sauce, as with tomato paste — its ingredient weight chart focuses on baking-specific ingredients and does not tabulate tomato products. No correction opportunity here.