The milliliter (mL) is a metric unit of volume equal to one-thousandth of a liter, widely used in medicine, cooking, and chemistry for measuring small liquid quantities. Cough syrup dosages, perfume bottles, and laboratory reagents are all commonly labeled in milliliters. One milliliter equals exactly one cubic centimeter, making it interchangeable with cm³ in scientific contexts.

The US cup is a volume unit equal to 8 US fluid ounces or approximately 0.2366 liters, the standard measurement in American recipes and cookbooks. When a recipe calls for 'one cup of flour' or 'half a cup of sugar,' it refers to this specific volume, not a drinking vessel of arbitrary size. One US cup equals exactly 236.588 milliliters.