How Many Tablespoons In A Cup (Tbsp to C)

Quick Summary: There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup. To convert cups to tablespoons, multiply the number of cups by 16. So ½ cup equals 8 tablespoons, ⅓ cup equals about 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, and ¼ cup equals 4 tablespoons. This also applies to the UK tablespoon, since 1 UK cup equals 16 UK tablespoons.

The easy-to-read tables and charts in this article will help you with your measurement conversions, whether cooking or baking old-fashioned or modern recipes.

Jump to:

• What is a tablespoon?
• What is a cup?
• US standard, US legal, Imperial, and metric cup
• How many tablespoons in a cup
• How to convert tablespoons to cups and vice versa
• Tbsps to cups, ounces, grams, and sticks of butter
• How many teaspoons in a tablespoon
• Tips for accurate measuring
• Related conversion charts
• FAQ
• Comments

What is a tablespoon?

A tablespoon (abbreviated as tbsp, Tbsp, or T) is a unit of volume used to measure ingredients such as oils, spices, and liquid condiments. One tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons, ½ fluid ounce, or about 15 milliliters.

What is a cup?

A cup (abbreviated as c or C) is a larger unit of volume used for ingredients such as flour, sugar, and liquids. One US customary cup equals 16 tablespoons, 8 fluid ounces, or about 237 milliliters.

US standard, US legal, Imperial, and metric cup

The United States still uses the imperial system for measurements, while other countries use the Metric system.

Imperial measurements contain pounds, feet, quarts, inches, and miles.  Other countries use grams, kilograms, centimeters, meters, kilometers, milliliters, and liters.

When it comes to baking-specific measurements, many countries recognize cups, tablespoons, dessert spoons, and teaspoons as volume units.

This blog post relies on the US standard cup (customary cup or standard unit cup size).

US customary (standard) cup: The United States has its own measurement convention called 'US cups,' where 1 cup is equal to:

• 1 US Cup = 236.588 mL
• 1 US Cup = 16 US tablespoons (tbsp)
• 1 US Cup = 15.77 metric tablespoons (United Kingdom, international)

US legal cup: The legal US cup is used in cooking units, serving sizes, and nutrition labeling in the USA.

• 1 US Legal Cup = 240 mL
• 1 US Legal Cup = 16.2307 US tablespoons (tbsp)
• 1 US Legal Cup = 16 metric tablespoons (UK, international)

A metric cup is a unit of liquid measurement commonly associated with cooking and serving sizes.

Australia, Canada, and New Zealand employ the metric cup of 250 milliliters. 1 metric cup (Australia) = 12 Australian tablespoons.

An Imperial cup is a non-metric liquid measurement unit of volume. One imperial cup equals 284.131 mL.

How many tablespoons in a cup

There are 16 tablespoons in a cup and 8 tablespoons in a half cup.

Here is a handy tablespoons to cups conversion chart of the tablespoons (or tbsp), dry measuring cups (abbreviated as 'c'), and fluid ounces (or fl. oz.) equivalency.

Tablespoons	Cups
1 tbsp	1/16 c
2 tbsp	⅛ c
3 tbsp	3/16 c
4 tbsp	¼ c
5 tablespoon	5/16 c
6 tbsp	⅜ c
7 tbsp	7/16 c
8 tbsp	½ c
9 tbsp	9/16 c
10 tablespoon	⅔ c
11 tbsp	11/16 c
12 tbsp	¾ c
13 tbsp	13/16 c
14 tbsp	⅞ c
15 tbsp	15/16 c
16 tbsp	1 c

How to convert tablespoons to cups and vice versa

Converting between tablespoons and cups is simple because 1 cup always equals 16 tablespoons, no matter the ingredient.

To convert tablespoons to cups, divide the number of tablespoons by 16. For example, 8 tablespoons divided by 16 equals ½ cup.

To convert cups to tablespoons, multiply the number of cups by 16. For example, 2 cups multiplied by 16 equals 32 tablespoons.

Tbsps to cups, ounces, grams, and sticks of butter

If you measure dry products by volume and you don't use a kitchen scale, then the above conversion table works for all types of flour, white and brown sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and other ingredients.

But how to simplify conversions for butter, margarine, and shortening? Here is a simple chart for you to use.

tablespoon	Cups	Ounces	Grams	Stick of butter
16 tbsp	1 c	8 oz.	226.8 g	2 sticks
10 tablespoon + 2 tsp	⅔ c	5.33 oz.	151.2 g	1 ⅓ sticks
8 tbsp	½ c	4 oz.	113.4 g	1 stick
5 tablespoon + 1 tsp	⅓ c	2.66 oz.	75.6 g	⅔ sticks

How many teaspoons in a tablespoon

Sometimes you need to know how many teaspoons are in one US tablespoon.

• 1 tablespoon contains 3 teaspoons.
• 1 ½ teaspoons equals ½ tablespoon.

If you need to measure anything smaller than a teaspoon, you can use ½ and ¼ measuring spoons.

Tips for accurate measuring

• Use a dry measuring cup for dry ingredients and a liquid measuring cup for liquids, since the two are not interchangeable.
• For dry ingredients, spoon them into the cup or spoon, then level off with the flat edge of a knife instead of scooping straight from the container.
• Do not pack or tap down dry ingredients, except for brown sugar, which should be firmly packed.
• When measuring liquids, place the cup on a flat surface and read the measurement at eye level.
• For the most accurate results, weigh your ingredients on a kitchen scale instead of measuring by volume.

Related conversion charts

If you are looking for more conversion charts, please visit Baking Conversion Charts. Also, if you ever need to convert your baking pan sizes, use this simple Cake Pan Converter.

Also, enjoy these conversion charts:

• How Many Ounces In A Tablespoon
• How Many Milliliters In A Tablespoon
• How Many Milliliters In A Teaspoon
• Grams To Cups Conversions
• Cups To Grams Conversions
• How Many Cups In A Liter
• How Many Cups In A Pint
• How Many Cups In A Quart
• How Many Cups In A Gallon

FAQ

How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in a cup.

How many tablespoons are in a ¼ cup?
There are 4 tablespoons in ¼ cup.

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons are in a tablespoon.

How many teaspoons are in a cup?
There are 48 teaspoons in a cup.

How many tablespoons UK in a cup UK?
There are 16 tablespoons UK in 1 cup UK.

How many tablespoons in a cup Australia?
1 Australian cup equals 16.67 metric tablespoons and 12.5 Australian tablespoons.