120 ml to Cups
120 ml in cups (≈ ½ cups):
0.50
US cups (240 ml)
0.48
Metric / AU cups (250 ml)
Australian, UK and New Zealand recipes use the 250 ml metric cup; the United States uses a 240 ml cup. Use the metric column for any recipe outside the US — see our guide to Australian recipe measurements.
120 ml is half a US cup — one of the most common liquid measures in American baking.
120 ml conversion table
| US cups (240 ml cup) | 0.50 cups |
| Metric / AU / UK cups (250 ml cup) | 0.48 cups |
| US tablespoons | 8.12 tbsp |
| Australian tablespoons (20 ml) | 6 tbsp |
How to measure 120 ml without a measuring jug
Three reliable ways, in order of accuracy:
- Kitchen scale (most accurate): for water, milk and other thin liquids, 120 ml weighs almost exactly 120 g — set a jug on the scale, zero it, and pour to 120 g.
- Measuring spoons: with metric spoons (15 ml tablespoon), 8 level tablespoons = exactly 120 ml.
- Cup measure: fill a US cup to the ½ line — 120 ml is exactly half a 240 ml US cup. With a 250 ml metric cup, stop just under the halfway mark (½ metric = 125 ml).
120 ml in other units
| US fluid ounces | 4.1 fl oz |
| Metric tablespoons (15 ml) | 8 tbsp |
| Teaspoons (5 ml) | 24 tsp |
| Litres | 0.12 L |
| Japanese cups (200 ml) | 0.6 cups |
120 ml of common ingredients in grams
Volume-to-weight depends on the ingredient — 120 ml of flour weighs a bit more than a third of what 120 ml of honey does. Approximate figures:
| Water | 120 g |
| Milk | ~124 g |
| Vegetable oil | ~110 g |
| All-purpose flour | ~64 g |
| Granulated sugar | ~101 g |
| Honey / golden syrup | ~170 g |
Spooned-and-levelled flour; densities vary by brand and humidity — for baking, weigh instead.
Full cups to grams guide →Where 120 ml turns up in recipes
120 ml is the metric rendering of ½ cup, one of the most common measures in American baking — milk, buttermilk, oil and yoghurt amounts in cakes, muffins and pancakes all land on it. It is also the classic 4 fl oz baby-bottle feed, which is why 120 ml markings appear on so many kitchen measures.
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Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 120 ml?
120 ml is 0.50 US cups or 0.48 metric (Australian, UK and NZ) cups. That is roughly ½ cups.
Is 120 ml the same in Australian cups?
Australia, the UK and New Zealand use a 250 ml cup, so 120 ml is 0.48 metric cups — slightly less than the 0.50 US cups you get with the smaller 240 ml US cup.
Is 120 ml half a cup?
Yes — 120 ml is exactly half a US cup. In Australian 250 ml cups it is a touch under half (0.48).
How many tablespoons is 120 ml?
120 ml is 8.1 US tablespoons, or exactly 8 metric (15 ml) tablespoons. In Australian 20 ml tablespoons it is exactly 6.
How many ounces is 120 ml?
120 ml is 4.1 US fluid ounces — recipes often round this to 4 oz. Fluid ounces measure volume; weight in ounces depends on the ingredient.
How do I measure 120 ml without a measuring cup?
Weigh 120 g of water or milk on a kitchen scale, or use 8 level metric tablespoons.