Grams, Ounces and Pounds: A Conversion Guide
Three units, two measurement systems, and a thousand recipes that don't agree on which to use. This guide breaks down every conversion between grams, ounces and pounds — with the exact formulas, the mental-arithmetic shortcuts, and the kitchen reference tables you'll actually use.
If you've ever followed a British baking recipe in an American kitchen — or the reverse — you already know the problem. Grams belong to the metric system. Ounces and pounds belong to the imperial system. They show up side by side on packaging, in cookbooks, on bathroom scales, and on shipping labels, and converting between them is a daily reality for cooks, travellers, athletes and anyone who buys things internationally.
The good news: there are only three numbers you need to remember. Everything else flows from them. If you just need a quick answer, use the grams to ounces converter, ounces to grams converter, or grams to pounds converter.
Grams, ounces & pounds converter
Type any value to convert between the three units instantly.
Understanding the three units
Before the conversions, a quick orientation:
The gram (g)
The gram is a metric unit of mass equal to one-thousandth of a kilogram. That relationship is why grams to kilograms and kilograms to grams conversions are simple decimal shifts. For perspective: a paperclip weighs about 1 gram, a US dollar bill weighs roughly 1 gram, and a standard pencil is around 6 grams.
The ounce (oz)
The ounce is the imperial system's small-weight unit. 1 ounce = 28.349523125 grams exactly, so the ounces to grams converter is usually the fastest tool when a recipe or package label uses ounces. It's used for everything from food portions and cosmetics to letter postage in the United States. Note: this is the avoirdupois ounce, not the troy ounce used for precious metals (which is heavier — see our Troy Ounce Guide).
The pound (lb)
The pound is the imperial system's everyday unit for body weight, groceries and shipping. 1 pound = 16 ounces = 453.59237 grams exactly. For body weight, shipping labels, or grocery quantities, the pounds to grams converter and pounds to ounces converter are the two most useful shortcuts.
1 oz = 28.35 g · 1 lb = 454 g · 1 lb = 16 oz. Memorise these and you can derive every other conversion in your head.
Grams to ounces
To convert grams into ounces, divide by 28.3495, or use the grams to ounces converter when you need an exact answer without doing the calculation manually.
| Grams | Ounces | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10 g | 0.35 oz | 1 sugar cube |
| 25 g | 0.88 oz | ~1 oz |
| 50 g | 1.76 oz | 1 large egg |
| 100 g | 3.53 oz | Standard chocolate bar |
| 150 g | 5.29 oz | Small apple |
| 200 g | 7.05 oz | 1 cup of sugar |
| 250 g | 8.82 oz | Block of butter (UK) |
| 500 g | 17.64 oz | Half a kilo |
| 750 g | 26.46 oz | Standard wine bottle (full) |
| 1,000 g | 35.27 oz | 1 kilogram |
Ounces to grams
To go the other way, multiply ounces by 28.3495. For quick kitchen or postage conversions, the ounces to grams converter gives the exact gram value instantly.
| Ounces | Grams | Common in |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 oz | 7.09 g | 1 envelope of yeast |
| 0.5 oz | 14.17 g | 1 tablespoon of butter |
| 1 oz | 28.35 g | 1 slice of bread |
| 2 oz | 56.70 g | 1 small portion of pasta |
| 3 oz | 85.05 g | Deck of cards (meat portion) |
| 4 oz | 113.40 g | 1 stick of US butter |
| 6 oz | 170.10 g | Yogurt cup |
| 8 oz | 226.80 g | Half a pound |
| 12 oz | 340.19 g | Standard soda can |
| 16 oz | 453.59 g | 1 pound |
Grams to pounds
For larger weights, divide grams by 453.592 to get pounds. If the number is closer to package, luggage, or body-weight scale, use the grams to pounds converter instead of converting through ounces first.
| Grams | Pounds | Pounds & ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 250 g | 0.55 lb | 0 lb 8.82 oz |
| 500 g | 1.10 lb | 1 lb 1.64 oz |
| 750 g | 1.65 lb | 1 lb 10.46 oz |
| 1,000 g | 2.20 lb | 2 lb 3.27 oz |
| 1,500 g | 3.31 lb | 3 lb 4.91 oz |
| 2,000 g | 4.41 lb | 4 lb 6.55 oz |
| 2,500 g | 5.51 lb | 5 lb 8.18 oz |
| 5,000 g | 11.02 lb | 11 lb 0.36 oz |
| 10,000 g | 22.05 lb | 22 lb 0.74 oz |
Pounds to grams
To convert pounds to grams, multiply by 453.592. If you also need the metric value in kilograms, use pounds to kilograms for larger weights and pounds to grams for precise ingredient or shipping weights.
| Pounds | Grams | Kilograms |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 lb | 226.80 g | 0.23 kg |
| 1 lb | 453.59 g | 0.45 kg |
| 2 lb | 907.18 g | 0.91 kg |
| 3 lb | 1,360.78 g | 1.36 kg |
| 5 lb | 2,267.96 g | 2.27 kg |
| 10 lb | 4,535.92 g | 4.54 kg |
| 20 lb | 9,071.85 g | 9.07 kg |
| 50 lb | 22,679.62 g | 22.68 kg |
| 100 lb | 45,359.24 g | 45.36 kg |
Ounces and pounds: the easy one
This is the only conversion in this guide that involves no decimals. 1 pound = 16 ounces. That's it. Multiply or divide by 16, or use the ounces to pounds converter and pounds to ounces converter when you want the answer instantly.
| Pounds | Ounces | Decimal pounds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 1 oz | 0.0625 lb |
| 4 oz | 4 oz | 0.25 lb (¼ lb) |
| 8 oz | 8 oz | 0.50 lb (½ lb) |
| 12 oz | 12 oz | 0.75 lb (¾ lb) |
| 16 oz | 16 oz | 1.00 lb |
| 1 lb 8 oz | 24 oz | 1.50 lb |
| 2 lb | 32 oz | 2.00 lb |
| 5 lb | 80 oz | 5.00 lb |
Kitchen reference table
The conversions you'll reach for most often when cooking from international recipes are usually grams, ounces, and pounds. For broader recipe conversions, the complete weight conversion chart gives a wider reference across metric and imperial units.
| Ingredient (1 cup) | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 g | 4.23 oz |
| Bread flour | 130 g | 4.59 oz |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 7.05 oz |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 220 g | 7.76 oz |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 4.23 oz |
| Butter | 227 g | 8.00 oz |
| Honey | 340 g | 11.99 oz |
| Cocoa powder | 100 g | 3.53 oz |
| Rolled oats | 90 g | 3.17 oz |
| Rice (uncooked) | 185 g | 6.53 oz |
A "cup" is a volume measurement, not a weight. The same cup of flour and cup of honey weigh wildly different amounts. When precision matters — especially in baking — always weigh ingredients in grams.
Mental arithmetic shortcuts
You don't need a calculator if you remember these rules of thumb:
Grams to ounces
Divide by 28. For a quick check, divide by 30 instead — the answer will be slightly low. Example: 200 g ÷ 30 ≈ 6.7 oz (actual: 7.05 oz).
Ounces to grams
Multiply by 28, or by 30 for an upper-bound estimate. Example: 4 oz × 28 = 112 g (actual: 113.4 g).
Pounds to grams (or kilograms)
Divide pounds by 2.2 to get kilograms, then multiply by 1,000 for grams. Example: 10 lb ÷ 2.2 = 4.55 kg = 4,550 g (actual: 4,536 g).
Grams to pounds
Divide by 1,000, then multiply by 2.2. Example: 3,000 g → 3 kg → 3 × 2.2 = 6.6 lb (actual: 6.61 lb).
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing ounces with fluid ounces. An ounce (oz) measures weight; a fluid ounce (fl oz) measures volume. They are unrelated unless you happen to be measuring water at room temperature, where 1 fl oz of water weighs about 1 oz. For other liquids — oil, honey, syrup — they are very different.
- Using troy ounces by mistake. Recipes and shipping use the standard (avoirdupois) ounce. Gold, silver and platinum are weighed in troy ounces (1 troy oz = 31.1035 g, which is about 10% heavier).
- Mixing US and UK pounds. Both countries use the same pound (453.59237 g) as a unit, but a US pint and a UK pint differ — don't conflate the two systems when scaling recipes.
- Rounding too aggressively in baking. Rounding 250 g down to 8 oz (instead of 8.82 oz) introduces a 10% error — enough to ruin bread or pastry.
- Forgetting that "lb" is plural-safe. "5 lbs" and "5 lb" are both acceptable, but the official symbol has no "s".
All conversion tools
For exact answers without doing the maths yourself, jump to the converter for the specific pair you need: