Millilitres of table salt to grams runs on one number, 1.2173048 grams per millilitre. It is a measured property of this ingredient rather than a defined conversion, which is why a generic volume-to-weight tool cannot give you it.
The density behind that figure is 1.2173 g per mL, against 1.00 for water. A cup of water weighs 236.6 g and a cup of table salt weighs 288 g, so this ingredient is 121.7% as heavy as the same volume of water — the single fact the whole page rests on.
Table salt has a density of 1.2173 g per mL, so 100 mL of it weighs 121.7 g and 250 mL weighs 304.3 g. That single figure is what every other number on this page is built from — water is 1.00 g per mL, so this ingredient is 121.7% as heavy as the same volume of water.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.347% of a cup of table salt, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 1.736 cups, and a 1 kg pack 3.472.
What the number depends on: Fine cubic crystals that pack tightly — the densest thing in the cupboard, and the reason a salt swap by volume goes so badly wrong.
The formula
millilitres- The amount of table salt you are converting, in millilitres
1.21730481727- Grams per millilitre for table salt, from its density of 1.2173 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in millilitres.
- It is multiplied by 1.21730481727, the grams-per-millilitre figure for table salt.
- The result appears in grams, with a second reading in oz beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
15 mL of table salt in grams
A recipe calling for 15 mL of table salt needs 18.2596 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 15 × 1.2173048 = 18.259572, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 9.12979 grams.
100 mL of table salt in grams
100 mL of table salt weighs out at 121.73 grams. Divide 121.73 by 1.2173048 and you get back to 100 mL, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
250 mL of table salt in grams
250 mL of table salt weighs out at 304.326 grams. Divide 304.326 by 1.2173048 and you get back to 250 mL, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 mL of table salt?
One millilitre of table salt is 1.2173048 grams. Half that quantity is 0.608652 grams and double it is 2.43461 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of table salt not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Table salt has a density of 1.2173 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 288 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 51.4 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. Handling changes the weight of a cup of table salt by roughly 20% — about 28.8 g either side of 288 g — because fine cubic crystals that pack tightly — the densest thing in the cupboard, and the reason a salt swap by volume goes so badly wrong. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of table salt the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of table salt weighs 1.27 oz, so the two readings differ by 27%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of table salt would weigh 304.33 g instead of 288 g — 16.3 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
At this size the spoon wins. One millilitre of table salt is 1.217 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 82.1% resolution on that — a measuring spoon is the more accurate instrument below about 5 g, which is why spice quantities are still written in spoons.
How many millilitres of table salt is 500 g?
500 g of table salt is 410.74 millilitres — 0.821487 millilitres to one gram, so 500 × 0.821487 = 410.74. Going that way is a division by 1.2173, or a multiplication by 0.821487 if you prefer.
Table salt in millilitres and grams
| Millilitres | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mL | 6.08652 g | 6.086524086 |
| 10 mL | 12.173 g | 12.17304817 |
| 15 mL | 18.2596 g | 18.25957226 |
| 30 mL | 36.5191 g | 36.51914452 |
| 50 mL | 60.8652 g | 60.86524086 |
| 100 mL | 121.73 g | 121.7304817 |
| 125 mL | 152.163 g | 152.1631022 |
| 150 mL | 182.596 g | 182.5957226 |
| 200 mL | 243.461 g | 243.4609635 |
| 250 mL | 304.326 g | 304.3262043 |
| 500 mL | 608.652 g | 608.6524086 |
Based on 288 g per cup of table salt. One millilitre of table salt is 1.2173048 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 288 g | 10.2 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 18 g | 0.635 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 12 g | 0.423 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 6 g | 0.212 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 4.5 g | 0.159 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 3 g | 0.106 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.5 g | 0.0529 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.75 g | 0.0265 oz | 0.6161 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground turmeric | 144 g | 5.079 oz | 0.6087 |
| Powdered gelatin | 150 g | 5.291 oz | 0.634 |
| Baking powder | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
| Vanilla extract | 202 g | 7.125 oz | 0.8538 |
| Kosher salt | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
| Table salt (this page) | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
| Baking soda | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.