Cooking
converter.
Convert teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, fluid ounces and milliliters, and see the same amount in every cup and spoon system at once, because a “cup” is not the same size everywhere.
Which cup
is your cup?
- US customary units are exact: 1 tsp = 4.92892159375 mL, 1 tbsp = 3 tsp, 1 fl oz = 2 tbsp, 1 cup = 8 fl oz = 236.5882365 mL.
- US nutrition labels use a 240 mL cup, 15 mL tablespoon and 5 mL teaspoon (21 CFR 101.9).
- Metric cups are 250 mL and metric tablespoons 15 mL. Australian tablespoons are 20 mL.
- Imperial (UK) units: 1 pint = 568.26125 mL, 1 fl oz = 28.4130625 mL; an imperial cup here is half a pint.
- This converts volume only. Weight needs a density.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
In US and metric measuring sets, a tablespoon is three teaspoons. So 2 tablespoons are 6 teaspoons and a quarter cup is 4 tablespoons (12 teaspoons). The exception is Australia, where a standard tablespoon is 20 mL, which is four 5 mL teaspoons.
1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp
1 tbsp = 3 tsp (US and metric)
1 Australian tbsp = 20 mL = 4 metric tspWhy do cup sizes differ?
A US customary cup is 236.59 mL. US nutrition labels round it to 240 mL. Most metric countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, use a 250 mL cup, and older British recipes may use a larger imperial cup. The differences are small for a single cup (about 6% between US and metric) but add up in baking. The table under every result shows your amount in each system so you can match the recipe's origin.
The Australian tablespoon trap
An Australian tablespoon is 20 mL, about 35% more than a US tablespoon (14.79 mL). Three Australian tablespoons are just over four US tablespoons. For baking powder, salt or gelatin that difference matters, so check where a recipe comes from before using your spoons.
Measuring awkward amounts
When a conversion gives an awkward number, the calculator also expresses it with standard US cups and spoons. It picks the fewest measures that land within 1% of the exact amount and carries upward, so 0.999 cup reads as 1 cup. For example, 0.4 cups is ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp + ¼ tsp, within 0.3%.
Worked examples.
Tablespoons to teaspoons
A recipe needs 2 tablespoons, but you only have a teaspoon.
6 teaspoons.
Load this exampleA US cup in milliliters
How many milliliters are in one US cup?
236.5882365 mL exactly (240 mL on US nutrition labels; 250 mL in a metric cup).
Load this exampleAustralian tablespoons in a US recipe
An Australian recipe calls for 3 tablespoons. How many US tablespoons is that?
About 4.06 US tablespoons, roughly 4 US tablespoons.
Load this exampleA metric cup in US cups
A recipe uses a 250 mL metric cup. How much is that in US cups?
1.057 US cups, which you can measure as 1 cup + 2¾ teaspoons.
Load this exampleThree-quarters of a cup in tablespoons
You need ¾ cup but your cup measure is missing.
12 tablespoons.
Load this exampleWhat this calculator
does not do.
- It converts volume to volume only. Cups of flour or sugar to grams depends on the ingredient; use the milligrams to teaspoons calculator with a known density.
- Never use kitchen spoons for medicine. Use the dosing device supplied with the medicine and follow the mL instructions.
- Measuring-spoon breakdowns use US cups and spoons and are rounded to the nearest ⅛ teaspoon.
- Historical British recipes used several cup sizes. The imperial cup here is half an imperial pint (284 mL).
Common questions.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
16 US tablespoons. With metric spoons and a 250 mL cup, it is about 16.7 tablespoons.
How many mL is a teaspoon?
A US teaspoon is 4.93 mL; metric and US nutrition-label teaspoons are 5 mL.
Is a fluid ounce the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce measures volume. An ounce (weight) measures mass. They are only similar for water.
How many US tablespoons is an Australian tablespoon?
About 1.35 US tablespoons (20 mL ÷ 14.79 mL).
- NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8 — cup, tablespoon, teaspoon and fluid ounce
- 21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii) — household measures for nutrition labeling — teaspoon 5 mL, tablespoon 15 mL, cup 240 mL
- NIST — Metric kitchen: cooking measurement equivalencies — approximate home-cooking values
- Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1 (UK) — imperial pint and fluid ounce
- Metabolic Dietitians (Australia) — low-protein diet guide — documents the Australian 20 mL tablespoon and 250 mL cup convention
Every unit is stored as an exact number of milliliters and converted through milliliters. Tests check the 3 tsp = 1 tbsp = ½ fl oz and 16 tbsp = 1 cup relationships, each published system value, round trips, and the cup-and-spoon breakdown.