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Tablespoons & Teaspoons to Cups Converter
Spoon sizes aren't the same everywhere. A US tablespoon, a UK tablespoon and an Australian tablespoon are three different volumes — this converter handles all three, plus teaspoons, cups and millilitres.
US tablespoon = 14.79 ml. UK tablespoon (modern recipes) = 15 ml. Australian tablespoon = 20 ml — noticeably bigger, so Australian recipes need fewer tablespoons for the same volume.
Tablespoons in a cup, by country standard
| Standard | 1 tablespoon | Tablespoons per cup |
|---|---|---|
| US | 14.79 ml | 16 (in a 236.6 ml US cup) |
| UK (modern recipes) | 15 ml | ~15.8 (in a 236.6 ml US cup) |
| Australia | 20 ml | 12.5 (in a 250 ml metric cup) |
| Metric (Canada, NZ, India) | 15 ml | ~16.7 (in a 250 ml metric cup) |
Common questions
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 US tablespoons in 1 US cup. In Australia, where a tablespoon is a larger 20 ml, there are 12.5 Australian tablespoons in a 250 ml metric cup.
Is a UK tablespoon the same as a US tablespoon?
They're close but not identical. A US tablespoon is about 14.8 ml, while a UK tablespoon used in most modern recipes is 15 ml — near enough for most cooking, though not for precise baking.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon in both US and metric measures.