How Many Cups of Coffee Are in a 12 oz Bag? The Math Explained
Share
So, how many cups in a 12 oz bag of coffee? A 12 oz bag holds 340 grams of coffee. Brewed at a standard ratio for drip or pour-over, that is about 21 to 25 cups of 8 fl oz, or roughly 15 to 17 large 12 oz mugs. If you make espresso, the same bag gives about 17 to 24 double shots, depending on your dose.
The exact answer depends on three things: how big your cup is, how strong you like it and how you brew. Here is the math step by step, so you can work out your own number and know when to reorder.
Key takeaways
- 12 oz of coffee = 340.2 g. The bag is labeled by weight, not by volume.
- Cups = 340 ÷ grams per cup. At 15 g per 8 oz cup (a 1:16 ratio), you get about 22.7 cups.
- Bigger mugs, fewer cups: about 31 small 6 oz cups, 23 cups of 8 oz, 15 mugs of 12 oz or 11 mugs of 16 oz at 1:16.
- Espresso: about 24 doubles at 14 g, 21 at 16 g and 18 to 19 at 18 g.
- At two 8 oz cups a day, a bag lasts about 11 days; at one cup a day, a little over three weeks.
In this article
- Step 1: a 12 oz bag is weight, not volume
- Step 2: how many grams go in one cup
- Step 3: divide
- Chart: cups per 12 oz bag by cup size and strength
- Espresso shots per bag
- French press, cold brew and tablespoons
- How long does a 12 oz bag last?
- Whole bean vs ground: making the bag last well
- Try six coffees before you choose a bag
- FAQ
- Sources
Step 1: a 12 oz bag is weight, not volume
The “oz” on a coffee bag is an avoirdupois ounce, a unit of weight. Since 1959, one ounce has been defined as exactly 28.349523125 g, so:
12 oz × 28.35 g = 340.2 g of coffee
This is different from the fluid ounces on your mug, which measure volume: one US fluid ounce is 29.57 mL. A fluid ounce of water happens to weigh about one ounce, which is why the two get mixed up, but a bag of ground coffee filled to 12 fluid ounces would weigh much less than 12 oz. In the rest of this article, “12 oz bag” means 340 g of coffee and cup sizes are in fluid ounces of water.
For reference, the other common bag sizes work out to:
- 1 lb (16 oz) = 453.6 g
- 2 lb = 907.2 g
- 5 lb = 2,268 g
Step 2: how many grams go in one cup
The amount of coffee per cup depends on your brewing ratio, the grams of water for each gram of coffee. Filter coffee is usually brewed somewhere between 1:15 (stronger) and 1:18 (lighter). The Specialty Coffee Association’s Golden Cup standard, 55 g of coffee per liter of water, is about 1:18.
To find the coffee for one cup, divide the water by the ratio. One milliliter of water weighs about one gram, so an 8 fl oz cup of about 240 mL needs:
- 240 ÷ 15 = 16.0 g at 1:15
- 240 ÷ 16 = 15.0 g at 1:16
- 240 ÷ 17 = 14.1 g at 1:17
- 240 ÷ 18 = 13.3 g at 1:18
The ratio counts the water you pour. The grounds hold back a little, so the coffee in your cup will be slightly less than the water you started with.
Step 3: divide
Now the answer is one line:
Cups per bag = 340.2 g ÷ grams per cup
At 1:16 and 8 fl oz cups: 340.2 ÷ 15 = 22.7 cups. At 1:18: 340.2 ÷ 13.3 = 25.5 cups. At a strong 1:15: 340.2 ÷ 16 = 21.3 cups. That is where the range of about 21 to 25 cups comes from.
A worked example with a big mug
Say you drink one 12 fl oz mug (about 355 mL of water) every morning at 1:16. Coffee per mug: 355 ÷ 16 = 22.2 g. Mugs per bag: 340.2 ÷ 22.2 = 15.3. So your bag gives you 15 full mugs, with a few grams left over.
Chart: cups per 12 oz bag by cup size and strength
Each cell shows how many cups a 340 g bag makes, with the grams of coffee per cup in brackets. Cup sizes are the water you brew with.
| Cup size (water) | 1:15 (strong) | 1:16 | 1:17 | 1:18 (light) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 fl oz (177 mL) | 28.8 (11.8 g) | 30.7 (11.1 g) | 32.6 (10.4 g) | 34.5 (9.9 g) |
| 8 fl oz (240 mL) | 21.3 (16.0 g) | 22.7 (15.0 g) | 24.1 (14.1 g) | 25.5 (13.3 g) |
| 12 fl oz (355 mL) | 14.4 (23.7 g) | 15.3 (22.2 g) | 16.3 (20.9 g) | 17.2 (19.7 g) |
| 16 fl oz (473 mL) | 10.8 (31.5 g) | 11.5 (29.6 g) | 12.2 (27.8 g) | 12.9 (26.3 g) |
A tip for coffee maker users: the “cups” printed on many machines are smaller than a measuring cup, often about 5 fl oz of water. If you count machine cups, you will get more of them from a bag than this chart suggests, but each one is smaller.
Espresso shots per bag
Espresso uses far less water but a fixed dose of coffee per shot, so the count depends on your basket. The certified Italian espresso defined by the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano uses 7 ± 0.5 g of ground coffee for a single shot of about 25 mL, and a classic double uses about 14 g. Many modern recipes use bigger doubles: the brewing tips on our own coffees suggest 16–18 g.
| Dose per shot | Typical use | Shots per 12 oz bag |
|---|---|---|
| 7 g | Traditional single | 48 |
| 14 g | Traditional double | 24 |
| 16 g | Modern double | 21 |
| 18 g | Modern double | 18 (18.9) |
| 20 g | Large double | 17 |
The table rounds down to full shots, because a partial dose is not a shot. Expect a shot or two fewer if you need to adjust your grinder for a new bag. Our guide to making espresso at home covers how to get there faster.
French press, cold brew and tablespoons
French press
A common 500 mL (17 fl oz) press brewed at 1:15 uses 500 ÷ 15 = 33.3 g of coffee. A 340 g bag fills it 340.2 ÷ 33.3 = 10.2 times, so about 10 full presses, or about 20 mugs if you share each press between two people.
Cold brew
Cold brew uses a lot of coffee per batch. At a concentrate ratio of 1:5, one liter of water needs 200 g of coffee, so a 12 oz bag covers about 1.7 liters of water. You will strain off somewhat less concentrate than that, because the grounds soak up part of the water, and you then dilute it to taste. The milder recipe on our Cold Brew Coffee product page, about 85 g of coarse grounds per liter of water, stretches a 340 g bag to about 4 liters of water.
Tablespoons
If you measure with a spoon, the count depends on how much your spoon holds. At about 5 g per level tablespoon, a common working estimate that varies with grind and roast, a 12 oz bag holds about 68 tablespoons. Following the National Coffee Association’s guideline of 2 tablespoons per 6 fl oz of water, that is about 34 six-ounce cups; at 1 tablespoon per 6 oz, about 68 weaker ones. Weigh 5 level tablespoons of your coffee once and divide by 5 to get your own number.
How long does a 12 oz bag last?
Divide the bag by your daily use: Days = 340.2 g ÷ grams per day.
| Your daily habit | Coffee per day | A 12 oz bag lasts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup (8 fl oz, 1:16) | 15 g | 22.7 days, about 3 weeks |
| 2 cups | 30 g | 11.3 days, about 1.5 weeks |
| 3 cups | 45 g | 7.6 days, about 1 week |
| 4 cups | 60 g | 5.7 days |
| 1 double espresso (18 g) | 18 g | 18.9 days |
| 2 double espressos (18 g each) | 36 g | 9.4 days |
For a household, add everyone’s grams together. Two people drinking two 8 oz cups each use 60 g a day, so a 12 oz bag lasts under 6 days, a 1 lb bag about 7.5 days and a 2 lb bag about 15 days.
Whole bean vs ground: making the bag last well
How long a bag lasts in cups is one question; how long it stays delicious is another. The National Coffee Association suggests buying smaller batches more often, enough for one or two weeks, and gives these rough freshness windows once a bag is opened:
- Roasted whole beans at room temperature: 1–3 weeks
- Ground coffee at room temperature: 1–2 weeks
- Whole beans in the freezer, in a truly airtight container: 3–4 months
Put your daily habit next to those windows. At one cup a day, a 12 oz bag lasts about three weeks, right at the edge for whole beans and past it for ground coffee. At two or more cups a day, you will finish it well within the window. If you drink one cup a day, buy whole bean and grind as you go; our guide to whole bean vs ground coffee explains why. Whatever you choose, keep the coffee in an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dark place, away from heat and moisture.
This is also why fresh roasting matters. Every Feel Espresso order is roasted 1–5 days before delivery and arrives in 2–5 days, so the clock starts close to the roast date rather than weeks after it. Read why fresh roasted coffee tastes better for the details.
Try six coffees before you choose a bag
Not sure which coffee deserves a full 12 oz bag? Our Best Sellers Sample Pack contains six 2 oz packs: 6 Bean Blend, Cowboy Blend, Breakfast Blend, Peru, Mexico and Bali Blue. Using the same math, each 2 oz pack is 56.7 g, enough for about 3.8 cups of 8 fl oz at 1:16, or about 2.5 large 12 oz mugs. Brew them side by side, pick your favorite, then order it in a full bag from our best sellers.
Cups per 12 oz bag: FAQ
How many cups of coffee are in a 12 oz bag?
About 21 to 25 cups of 8 fl oz, or roughly 23 cups at a standard 1:16 ratio. With small 6 oz cups it is about 29 to 35; with 12 oz mugs, about 14 to 17.
How many espresso shots are in a 12 oz bag?
About 24 doubles at 14 g per shot, 21 at 16 g and 18 to 19 at 18 g. Single shots of 7 g give about 48.
How many tablespoons of coffee are in a 12 oz bag?
About 68 level tablespoons, assuming roughly 5 g per tablespoon. The real number varies with grind and roast, so weigh a few spoonfuls of your coffee to check.
How long does a 12 oz bag of coffee last?
At one 8 oz cup a day, about three weeks. At two cups a day, about 11 days, and at three cups a day, about a week.
How many cups are in a 1 lb bag of coffee?
A 1 lb bag is 453.6 g, so about 30 cups of 8 fl oz at 1:16, or 25 double espressos at 18 g.
Sources
- Wikipedia. Ounce: the international avoirdupois ounce, defined as exactly 28.349523125 g (1959 international yard and pound agreement). Read
- Wikipedia. Fluid ounce: the US customary fluid ounce, 29.5735295625 mL. Read
- Specialty Coffee Association. Protocols and best practices: brewing best practices (Golden Cup Standard). Read
- National Coffee Association. How to brew drip coffee (Golden Ratio). Read
- National Coffee Association. Coffee storage and shelf life. Read
- Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano. Certified Italian espresso parameters, and Hoffmann J, The World Atlas of Coffee, 2nd ed., 2018, as summarized in Wikipedia, Espresso. Read
- National Coffee Association. How to make cold brew coffee. Read
Facts checked in October 2026.
Keep reading: Whole bean vs ground coffee · Why fresh roasted coffee tastes better · How to make espresso at home · Best sellers