Tablespoons to Cups
Convert tablespoons to cups, teaspoons, fluid ounces, and millilitres instantly.
How to use this tool
- Enter tablespoons in the fields above.
- Results update instantly as you type — or click Calculate.
- Read your cups and the full breakdown beneath it.
Formula
Cups = Tablespoons ÷ 16
Teaspoons = Tablespoons × 3
Fluid ounces = Tablespoons ÷ 2
Millilitres = Tablespoons × 14.78676 mL
How it works
US liquid volume units are related by fixed integer ratios: 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 1/2 fluid ounce = 1/16 cup. The millilitre conversion uses the exact US tablespoon definition of 14.78676 mL (one half of a US fluid ounce of 29.5735 mL). All four outputs are derived directly from these relationships.
A common mistake is confusing US tablespoons (≈ 14.79 mL) with metric tablespoons (15 mL exactly), which are used in Australia, Canada, and the UK. Recipes from those countries using "1 tablespoon" mean 15 mL, not 14.79 mL — a small but meaningful difference for spices or leavening agents.
Worked example
Convert 8 tablespoons to cups, teaspoons, fluid ounces, and millilitres
- Start with 8 tablespoons.
- Cups: 8 ÷ 16 = 0.5 cup.
- Teaspoons: 8 × 3 = 24 tsp. Fluid ounces: 8 ÷ 2 = 4 fl oz.
- Millilitres: 8 × 14.78676 = 118.294 mL.
8 tablespoons = 0.5 cup, 24 teaspoons, 4 fl oz, and 118.294 mL.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing US tablespoons (14.79 mL) with metric tablespoons (15 mL) or Australian tablespoons (20 mL) -- the difference is small per spoon but adds up across 8+ tablespoons.
- Rounding partial cups to the nearest whole cup -- 3 tablespoons is only 3/16 cup, not a quarter cup; rounding to 1/4 cup introduces a 33% overage in that ingredient.
- Forgetting that the US cup used here is a US customary cup (240 mL), not the metric cup (250 mL) used in Australian and Canadian recipes.
Key terms
- US tablespoon (tbsp)
- A US cooking volume unit equal to 3 teaspoons, 1/2 fluid ounce, or approximately 14.787 mL.
- Cup (US)
- A US volume unit equal to 16 tablespoons or 8 fluid ounces (≈ 236.6 mL).
- Metric tablespoon
- A cooking measure used in Australia, Canada, and the UK equal to exactly 15 mL — slightly larger than the US tablespoon of ≈ 14.79 mL.
- Fluid ounce (fl oz)
- A US liquid volume unit equal to 2 tablespoons or approximately 29.574 mL.
Frequently asked questions
- How many tablespoons are in a cup?
- There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup.
- How many tablespoons are in half a cup?
- Half a cup equals 8 tablespoons.