Coffee Calculator: Cups per Pound & Coffee for a Crowd
How many cups of coffee in a pound, a 12 oz or 5 lb bag, and how much to buy for 50 or 100 people.
Picking a method sets its usual ratio.
Lower number = stronger. SCA Golden Cup is about 55 g per liter, roughly 1:18.
Whole beans and ground coffee give the same number of cups for the same weight. A coffee maker's “cup” line is usually 5 to 6 oz, not a full mug.
About the Coffee Calculator: Cups per Pound & Coffee for a Crowd
How many cups of coffee in a pound? About 30 cups of 8 oz or 40 coffee-maker cups of 6 oz at a standard 1:16 ratio. A pound of coffee is 453.6 g, and a standard 8 oz cup uses about 15 g. This calculator works it out for your bag and your cup. Pick a 12 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb or 5 lb bag (or enter grams), your cup size, brew method and strength. It shows cups per bag, grams and tablespoons per cup. Switch to the crowd tab to find how many pounds of coffee you need for 50 or 100 people. It also gives the water, urn sizes, decaf split, and cream and sugar to buy.
How many cups of coffee in a pound?
About 30 cups of 8 oz, or 40 coffee-maker cups of 6 oz, at a standard 1:16 coffee to water ratio. A pound is 453.6 g. An 8 oz cup is 237 ml of water, and 237 ÷ 16 = 14.8 g of coffee per cup. So 453.6 ÷ 14.8 gives 30 full cups. Depending on cup size and strength, one pound makes anywhere from 14 cups (16 oz travel mugs, strong) to 55 cups (5 oz urn cups, mild).
- 12 oz bag: about 23 mugs of 8 oz, or 30 cups of 6 oz.
- 2 lb bag: about 61 mugs, or 81 cups of 6 oz.
- 5 lb bag: about 153 mugs, or 204 cups of 6 oz.
The calculator uses the weight ratio of coffee to brew water (1 ml of water weighs about 1 g). The cup size is the water you put in, which matches the cup lines on coffee makers and urns. The grounds hold back a little water, so each poured cup comes out roughly 10% smaller.
Cups per pound by cup size and strength
Full cups from one pound (453.6 g) of coffee. Strong is 1:15. Standard is 1:16. Mild is 1:18, close to the SCA Golden Cup standard of 55 g per liter.
| Cup size | Strong 1:15 | Standard 1:16 | Mild 1:18 (SCA) | Grams per cup at 1:16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 oz (urn cup) | 46 | 49 | 55 | 9.2 g |
| 6 oz (coffee maker cup) | 38 | 40 | 46 | 11.1 g |
| 8 oz mug | 28 | 30 | 34 | 14.8 g |
| 10 oz | 23 | 24 | 27 | 18.5 g |
| 12 oz mug | 19 | 20 | 23 | 22.2 g |
| 16 oz travel mug | 14 | 15 | 17 | 29.6 g |
Cold brew is different. Concentrate is usually made at 1:4 to 1:8 and then cut 1:1 with water or milk. At 1:5, a pound makes about 19 finished cups of 8 oz.
Coffee for a crowd: 25 to 200 people
These figures assume 75% of guests drink coffee, 1.5 cups each, in 8 oz cups at 1:16, with 20% of cups decaf. Urn counts use the 5 oz cup rating and assume each urn is filled once. Decaf gets its own urn.
| Guests | Cups (8 oz) | Coffee | 12 oz bags | Water | Urns: regular / decaf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 29 | 0.95 lb | 2 | 1.8 gal | 1 × 40-cup / 1 × 30-cup |
| 50 | 57 | 1.86 lb | 3 | 3.6 gal | 1 × 100-cup / 1 × 30-cup |
| 100 | 113 | 3.68 lb | 5 | 7.1 gal | 1 × 100-cup + 1 × 55-cup / 1 × 40-cup |
| 150 | 169 | 5.51 lb | 8 | 10.6 gal | 2 × 100-cup + 1 × 30-cup / 1 × 55-cup |
| 200 | 225 | 7.33 lb | 10 | 14.1 gal | 3 × 100-cup / 1 × 100-cup |
Serving 6 oz cups instead? Multiply the coffee and water by 0.75. For 100 people that is about 2.8 lb and 5.3 gallons.
Worked example: coffee for 50 guests
You are hosting a 50-person brunch and expect 75% of guests to drink coffee, about 1.5 cups each.
- Cups: 50 × 0.75 × 1.5 = 56.25, so plan 57 cups.
- Coffee: 57 cups × 14.8 g = 843 g, which is 1.86 lb. Buy 2 lb, or three 12 oz bags.
- Decaf: at 20%, that is 11 decaf cups (0.36 lb) and 46 regular cups (1.50 lb).
- Water: 57 × 8 oz = 456 oz, or about 3.6 gallons.
- Urns: 46 regular mugs is 74 urn cups, so one 100-cup urn. The decaf fits in a 30-cup urn.
- Extras: if 60% take 1 oz of cream, that is 34 oz, or about 1.1 quarts. If 40% take 2 sugar packets, that is 46 packets.
Whole beans vs ground coffee
A pound of whole beans and a pound of ground coffee make the same number of cups. Grinding changes the volume, not the weight. That is why a kitchen scale beats a scoop. A level tablespoon of ground coffee is about 5 g, while whole beans pack unevenly in a scoop, so a spoonful of beans is a poor guide. For a pound of beans, grind what you need and use the grams per cup shown above.
How to use the Coffee Calculator: Cups per Pound & Coffee for a Crowd
- 01On the Cups per pound tab, choose your bag size (12 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, or a custom weight in g, kg, oz or lb).
- 02Pick your cup size. A coffee maker's cup line is about 6 oz, a standard mug is 8 oz, and urn cups are rated at 5 oz.
- 03Choose a brew method and strength. Standard is 1:16 (1 g of coffee to 16 g of water); a lower number is stronger. You get cups per bag, plus grams and tablespoons per cup.
- 04For an event, open Coffee for a crowd. Enter guests, the share who drink coffee and cups each. You get pounds to buy, gallons of water, urn sizes, the decaf split, and cream and sugar.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups of coffee are in a 12 oz bag?
At a standard 1:16 ratio, a 12 oz bag (340 g) makes about 23 cups of 8 oz or 30 coffee-maker cups of 6 oz. Brew it stronger at 1:15 and you get about 21 mugs.
How many cups of coffee are in a 5 lb bag?
A 5 lb bag (2,268 g) makes about 153 cups of 8 oz or 204 cups of 6 oz at 1:16. At the milder SCA strength of about 1:18, it stretches to roughly 172 mugs.
How many tablespoons of coffee per cup?
About 3 level tablespoons (15 g) of ground coffee for an 8 oz cup, and just over 2 tablespoons (11 g) for a 6 oz coffee-maker cup, at 1:16. A level tablespoon of ground coffee weighs about 5 g.
How much coffee do I need for 100 people?
About 3.7 lb if 75% of guests drink 1.5 cups of 8 oz each. That is 113 cups and 7.1 gallons of water. With smaller 6 oz cups, you need about 2.8 lb.
How many cups does a 100-cup coffee urn really make?
Urns are rated in 5 oz cups, so a 100-cup urn holds about 500 fl oz, or 3.9 gallons. That is roughly 62 mugs of 8 oz. Filling it takes about 2 lb (924 g) of coffee at 1:16.
What is the SCA golden ratio for coffee?
The Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup standard is about 55 g of coffee per liter of water, which is roughly 1:18. Most home brewers go a bit stronger, at 1:15 to 1:17.