When you need this conversion
Scaling recipes up or down, measuring spices, and dosing liquid medicines or supplements with whatever spoon you have.
Kitchen equivalents (US)
- 1 tbsp = 3 tsp = 14.787 mL
- 2 tbsp = 1 fl oz = 29.574 mL
- 4 tbsp = ¼ cup
- 8 tbsp = ½ cup
- 16 tbsp = 1 cup = 236.588 mL
Around the world
- US: tablespoon 14.787 mL, teaspoon 4.929 mL
- Metric (UK, Canada, NZ): tablespoon 15 mL, teaspoon 5 mL
- Australia: tablespoon 20 mL (4 teaspoons), teaspoon 5 mL
The 3-to-1 ratio holds everywhere except Australia, where a tablespoon is 4 teaspoons.
Common mistakes
Using cutlery spoons for medicine. Dinner teaspoons hold anywhere from 2.5 to 7 mL. Use a dosing syringe or measuring spoon.
Heaping vs level. Recipes mean level spoons unless they say otherwise.
For larger amounts, see cups to mL.