Bench converter: ounces, grams, cups, drops and air

Two different ounces

An ounce by weight is 28.35 grams. A fluid ounce is 29.57 milliliters of volume. They are not the same ounce, and a balm is sold by weight, which is why a jar of ours says NET WT 2 OZ (56 G) and a bottle of lotion says fl oz. A 2 fl oz jar filled with dense balm holds about 53 grams; filled with whipped balm it holds about 30, because up to half a whipped jar can be air. Compare jars by net weight, never by the size of the jar. The full read is in whipped tallow 101.

Cups, spoons and drops

A packed cup of tallow weighs about 205 grams and a tablespoon about 13, which is why the same "one cup" recipe comes out different in every kitchen. Drops are worse: a dropper gives 20 to 40 drops a milliliter depending on the oil and the orifice. The bench counts at 20 a milliliter, on the low side, so a count lands at or under the gram figure. Weigh anything under a gram on a 0.01 g scale.

Questions we hear

How many grams are in a 2 oz jar of balm?

56.7 grams if the 2 oz is net weight. If the 2 oz is the jar's volume, anywhere from about 30 grams (whipped) to 56 grams (dense).

How many drops of essential oil in a milliliter?

Between 20 and 40, measured. Most charts assume 20; Tisserand's charts assume 30. The dose calculator works in grams for that reason.