How Many Ounces Is 1/2 Pint? US, UK and Dry Pint Answers

How many ounces is 1/2 pint? In US measure, half a pint is 8 fluid ounces, which equals one US cup or about 237 millilitres. In the UK, a half pint is 10 imperial fluid ounces, about 284 millilitres. Which figure is right depends on where the recipe, carton or pub glass comes from, so it pays to know which system you are working in before you pour.

Half a pint at a glance

Type of pint	Half pint in fluid ounces	Half pint in ml (approx.)
US liquid	8 US fl oz	237
UK / imperial	10 imperial fl oz (9.6 US fl oz)	284
US dry	about 9.3 US fl oz	about 275

The gap comes from history. The imperial system uses a 20-ounce pint, while the US liquid pint contains 16 ounces. On top of that, the imperial fluid ounce is slightly smaller than the US one, which is why 10 imperial ounces comes to only about 9.6 US ounces.

Everyday examples

• A US carton of cream or milk. A half-pint carton holds 8 fluid ounces, the same as one measuring cup.
• A UK pub measure. A half pint is 284 ml, served in a smaller glass. Some bars also pour third-pint measures, a separate size.
• A basket of berries. A half-pint basket is a dry measure, so its volume is a little larger than 8 fluid ounces.

If you are comparing bar measures in different countries, our page on how much a half pint is goes further into the pub side.

Using half a pint in a recipe

If an American recipe asks for half a pint of heavy cream, pour 1 cup, or 8 fluid ounces. That matches the carton and can be measured in a standard measuring cup. If a British recipe calls for half a pint of stock or milk, aim for about 285 ml. For a cup-based cook that is a little over one US cup, roughly 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons, although a metric jug is far easier.

The error from mixing the two systems is about 20 per cent at worst. That is small enough for a soup or a casserole, but it can matter in cakes, bread or custard. For baked goods, stick to the unit system of the original recipe and, ideally, weigh the ingredients.

Quick conversion steps

1. US half pint to cups: half a pint is exactly 1 cup.
2. US half pint to tablespoons: 16 tablespoons.
3. US half pint to millilitres: multiply 8 fluid ounces by 29.57 to get about 237 ml.
4. UK half pint to millilitres: multiply 10 imperial ounces by 28.41 to get about 284 ml.
5. UK half pint to US cups: divide 284 by 237 for roughly 1.2 cups.

Ounces by weight are different

Do not confuse fluid ounces with ounces of weight. Water is a handy exception: a US pint of water weighs a little over a pound, giving the saying “a pint’s a pound the world around” for the US pint. A half pint of water therefore weighs a little over eight ounces. Other liquids such as honey, oil or cream do not weigh the same as water, so the number on a scale will differ. For the imperial pint, the old line is that a pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter, because 20 ounces of water is about 1.25 pounds. Honey is much heavier than water for the same volume, while oil is lighter.

Half pints in the wider family

Unit	US fluid ounces	Half pints
1 cup	8	1
1 US pint	16	2
1 US quart	32	4
1 US half gallon	64	8
1 US gallon	128	16

For a wider answer on how pint sizes compare, see our guide to half a pint in ounces, and the encyclopedia entry for the pint for the background on why each country settled on a different size.

Checking labels and glassware

When buying measuring jugs, look for markings in both millilitres and ounces, and check whether the ounce scale is US or imperial. Many UK jugs show 284 ml at the half-pint line, while American cups mark 237 ml at one cup. Cheap glasses sold as “half pint” can also be slightly off the legal measure, so if exactness matters, check with a jug. In pubs, a “line” on the glass means the liquid should reach it, which is why beer served with a head can look a little short.

Scaling a recipe up or down

Halving a pint-based recipe is straightforward in the US system because the numbers divide neatly: a pint is two cups, so half a pint is one cup, a quarter pint is half a cup and an eighth of a pint is four tablespoons. In imperial measure the divisions are less tidy for home cooks, but a metric jug solves that, since half a pint is 284 ml and a quarter pint is 142 ml. When you scale a recipe in a hurry, write the converted amount on the recipe in pen so you do not re-do the arithmetic halfway through. If you are cooking from an old family card with no country marked, a pre-1990s British source almost always means imperial pints, while a recent American blog means US cups.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

For American recipes, half a pint is simply 8 fluid ounces, one cup. For British ones, it is 10 imperial ounces, around 284 ml. Check which country the recipe or glass belongs to and you will rarely go wrong.