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tbsp
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What is a tablespoon?

Cooking spoon unit — US 15 ml; Australia 20 ml; UK 17.7 ml

Definition

The US tablespoon equals 14.8 ml (sometimes rounded to 15 ml). The metric tablespoon used in Australia is 20 ml; the UK tablespoon is 17.7 ml. Most international recipes today assume 15 ml as a convenient approximation.

Common uses

  • Cooking recipes worldwide (dominantly US 15 ml)
  • Nutrition-label serving sizes
  • Over-the-counter liquid-medication doses

🌍 Real-world scale

Olive-oil recipes call for tablespoons of oil. Cough syrups often recommend 1 tbsp = 15 ml per dose.

Convert from tablespoons

14 conversions
Tablespoon to Liter1 tbsp = 0.0148 LTablespoon to Milliliter1 tbsp = 14.8 mlTablespoon to Cubic Meter1 tbsp = 1.4800e-5 m³Tablespoon to US Gallon1 tbsp = 0.00391 gal (US)Tablespoon to UK Gallon1 tbsp = 0.003256 gal (UK)Tablespoon to Fluid Ounce1 tbsp = 0.5004 fl ozTablespoon to Cup1 tbsp = 0.06167 cupTablespoon to Pint1 tbsp = 0.03128 ptTablespoon to Quart1 tbsp = 0.01564 qtTablespoon to Teaspoon1 tbsp = 3.00269 tspTablespoon to Barrel1 tbsp = 9.3089e-5 bblTablespoon to Cubic Inch1 tbsp = 0.9032 in³Tablespoon to Cubic Foot1 tbsp = 0.0005227 ft³Tablespoon to Cubic Yard1 tbsp = 1.9358e-5 yd³

Convert to tablespoons

14 conversions
Liter to Tablespoon1 L = 67.5676 tbspMilliliter to Tablespoon1 ml = 0.06757 tbspCubic Meter to Tablespoon1 m³ = 67,567.57 tbspUS Gallon to Tablespoon1 gal (US) = 255.771 tbspUK Gallon to Tablespoon1 gal (UK) = 307.168 tbspFluid Ounce to Tablespoon1 fl oz = 1.99821 tbspCup to Tablespoon1 cup = 16.2162 tbspPint to Tablespoon1 pt = 31.9714 tbspQuart to Tablespoon1 qt = 63.9428 tbspTeaspoon to Tablespoon1 tsp = 0.333 tbspBarrel to Tablespoon1 bbl = 10,742.38 tbspCubic Inch to Tablespoon1 in³ = 1.10723 tbspCubic Foot to Tablespoon1 ft³ = 1,913.3 tbspCubic Yard to Tablespoon1 yd³ = 51,659.11 tbsp

Tips

  • US tbsp = 15 ml (practical); 14.787 ml (legal); 3 teaspoons in any system.
  • Australian tablespoon = 20 ml — 33% larger. Adjust when using Australian recipes.
  • For accurate cooking, weigh dry ingredients rather than measuring by tablespoon.

Common mistakes

  • Using an Australian tablespoon (20 ml) for a US recipe (15 ml) — 33% overshoot.
  • Treating teaspoon and tablespoon as interchangeable — tablespoon is 3× larger.
  • Using a dinner spoon from the cutlery drawer as a tablespoon — they vary widely.

FAQ about the tablespoon

What is a tablespoon?
The US tablespoon equals 14.8 ml (sometimes rounded to 15 ml). The metric tablespoon used in Australia is 20 ml; the UK tablespoon is 17.7 ml. Most international recipes today assume 15 ml as a convenient approximation.
Where is the tablespoon used?
The tablespoon is commonly used for: Cooking recipes worldwide (dominantly US 15 ml); Nutrition-label serving sizes; Over-the-counter liquid-medication doses.
What is an example of a tablespoon in real life?
Olive-oil recipes call for tablespoons of oil. Cough syrups often recommend 1 tbsp = 15 ml per dose.
What category does the tablespoon belong to?
The tablespoon is a unit of volume, part of the 15-unit volume category on UnitConv.
How accurate are tablespoon conversions?
All conversion factors follow NIST and BIPM international standards to 8 significant figures — the highest practical accuracy.
Explore all 15 volume units and their conversions.🧪 Volume hub →