Convert Barrel to Cup (bbl → cup)

Converting barrels to cups is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1. 1
   Take your value in barrels

   Start with the number of barrels (bbl) you want to convert.
2. 2
   Multiply by 662.44706

   The conversion factor from bbl to cup is 662.44706. Multiply your value by this number.
3. 3
   Read the result in cups

   The result is your value in cups (cup).

Multiply the value in barrels by 662.44706. For the reverse direction, multiply by 0.00151.

• ✓1 oil barrel = 42 US gallons = 158.987 L exactly.
• ✓Barrel prices quoted in USD — watch currency impact on non-US economies.
• ✓Different industries (beer, dry goods) use different barrel sizes — oil barrel is a specific unit.

• ✗Using beer barrel (163.7 L) or dry barrel (115.6 L) in oil contexts.
• ✗Confusing barrel of oil with barrel of beer — different volumes.
• ✗Assuming barrels are standard worldwide — only oil industry uses the 42 gallon version globally.

What is the Barrel?

The oil barrel equals exactly 42 US gallons (158.987 liters) and is the global benchmark unit for crude oil pricing and trading. The 42-gallon size dates to the 1860s Pennsylvania oil boom, when oil was shipped in repurposed wooden barrels of various sizes; the standard settled at 42 gallons as a practical industry compromise. Today, the oil barrel is virtually synonymous with crude oil — Brent crude and WTI prices are quoted per barrel ($/bbl), OPEC tracks production in barrels per day, and proven reserves are listed in billions of barrels. Despite metrication, the barrel persists in petroleum trading and journalism worldwide. It relates to the US gallon (1 bbl = 42 US gal), the cubic meter (1 bbl ≈ 0.159 m³), and the liter (1 bbl ≈ 159 L). Note that beer and wine barrels have different volumes.

• Crude oil international pricing (Brent, WTI)
• Petroleum product reporting (OPEC, EIA)
• Energy-sector financial reporting

What is the Cup?

The US cup equals exactly 240 milliliters (a definition standardized for nutrition labeling; the legal volume for cooking is 236.588 mL, derived from 8 US fluid ounces). The cup is the cornerstone of American baking and home cooking, with virtually every US recipe using volume measurements rather than the weight measurements common in European cooking. Standard measuring-cup sets include 1, ½, ⅓, and ¼ cup sizes. The metric cup (used in Australia, New Zealand, and increasingly in international recipes) is exactly 250 mL — slightly larger than the US cup. The cup relates to the gallon (16 cups = 1 gal), the pint (2 cups = 1 pt), the fluid ounce (8 fl oz = 1 cup), the tablespoon (16 tbsp = 1 cup), and the milliliter (1 cup ≈ 237–240 mL). American baking-by-volume is sometimes criticized internationally for its variability compared to gram-based measurements.

• US cooking and baking recipes
• Cereal and beverage serving sizes in US nutrition labels
• Volume estimation when no scale is available