Convert tablespoons to millilitres
Enter the number of spoons from your recipe and read the result in millilitres. One metric tablespoon is 15 millilitres, so five spoons, that is 5 tbsp, come to 75 millilitres. The field takes fractions straight from the recipe, and 1/2 a spoon is 7.5 millilitres.
How many millilitres are in one tablespoon?
One tablespoon is 15 millilitres. The US customary spoon holds 14.79 millilitres and the Australian one holds 20.
A tablespoon is a kitchen unit measured with a spoon of fixed capacity, and it takes its name from the cutlery. Three 5-millilitre teaspoons make one tablespoon, and that ratio holds everywhere the spoon is 15 millilitres[1].
Australia divides the spoon into four. The teaspoon there is the same 5 millilitres while the tablespoon is 20, so one spoonful takes four teaspoons[2].
Recipes write the spoon as tbsp or Tbsp, and sometimes as a bare capital T. The teaspoon appears as tsp[1].
You set the spoon with the Tablespoon type switch under the converter fields. The metric spoon comes first, because that is what a British recipe means.
Where do the three different tablespoons come from?
Each of the three spoons has a different origin, and that is where the three figures come from.
The US spoon follows from the gallon. A US gallon is exactly 231 cubic inches and an inch is exactly 2.54 centimetres, so a gallon holds 3785.411784 millilitres. The tablespoon is a two hundred and fifty-sixth of that, which is half a fluid ounce, and the sum comes to 14.78676478125 millilitres[1].
The metric spoon arrived by another route, adopted outright as 15 millilitres, or three teaspoons of five. The same number sits in American food-labelling law: for the purposes of a label a tablespoon means 15 millilitres and a fluid ounce means 30[3].
Australia chose a division by four when it went metric. The AS 1325 standard of 1972 described a set of domestic measures: a cup of 250 millilitres and a set of metric spoons in which the tablespoon is 20 millilitres and the teaspoon is 5[2]. It was replaced by AS 1325-1997, which has since been withdrawn[2]. The Australian tablespoon is still 20 millilitres[1].
How do you convert tbsp to ml? The formula and fractions
Multiply the number of spoons by the capacity of the spoon the recipe means.
The formula: millilitres = tablespoons × 15 for the metric spoon. For the US spoon the multiplier is 14.7868, and for the Australian one it is 20.
Recipes also give spoons as fractions, because half a spoon and a quarter of a spoon come as separate measures in the same set.
The sum the other way round goes through the millilitres to tablespoons converter. A volume in cups goes through the cups to millilitres converter, and one in fluid ounces through the fluid ounces to millilitres converter.
How many millilitres are in a given number of tablespoons?
| Tablespoons | Metric tablespoon | US tablespoon | Australian tablespoon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 | 1.88 ml | 1.85 ml | 2.5 ml |
| 1/4 | 3.75 ml | 3.7 ml | 5 ml |
| 1/3 | 5 ml | 4.93 ml | 6.67 ml |
| 1/2 | 7.5 ml | 7.39 ml | 10 ml |
| 2/3 | 10 ml | 9.86 ml | 13.33 ml |
| 3/4 | 11.25 ml | 11.09 ml | 15 ml |
| 1 | 15 ml | 14.79 ml | 20 ml |
| 1 1/4 | 18.75 ml | 18.48 ml | 25 ml |
| 1 1/2 | 22.5 ml | 22.18 ml | 30 ml |
| 1 3/4 | 26.25 ml | 25.88 ml | 35 ml |
| 2 | 30 ml | 29.57 ml | 40 ml |
| 2 1/4 | 33.75 ml | 33.27 ml | 45 ml |
| 2 1/2 | 37.5 ml | 36.97 ml | 50 ml |
| 2 3/4 | 41.25 ml | 40.66 ml | 55 ml |
| 3 | 45 ml | 44.36 ml | 60 ml |
| 3 1/2 | 52.5 ml | 51.75 ml | 70 ml |
| 4 | 60 ml | 59.15 ml | 80 ml |
| 4 1/2 | 67.5 ml | 66.54 ml | 90 ml |
| 5 | 75 ml | 73.93 ml | 100 ml |
| 5 1/2 | 82.5 ml | 81.33 ml | 110 ml |
| 6 | 90 ml | 88.72 ml | 120 ml |
| 6 1/2 | 97.5 ml | 96.11 ml | 130 ml |
| 7 | 105 ml | 103.51 ml | 140 ml |
| 7 1/2 | 112.5 ml | 110.9 ml | 150 ml |
| 8 | 120 ml | 118.29 ml | 160 ml |
| 9 | 135 ml | 133.08 ml | 180 ml |
| 10 | 150 ml | 147.87 ml | 200 ml |
| 11 | 165 ml | 162.65 ml | 220 ml |
| 12 | 180 ml | 177.44 ml | 240 ml |
| 13 | 195 ml | 192.23 ml | 260 ml |
| 14 | 210 ml | 207.01 ml | 280 ml |
| 15 | 225 ml | 221.8 ml | 300 ml |
| 16 | 240 ml | 236.59 ml | 320 ml |
| 18 | 270 ml | 266.16 ml | 360 ml |
| 20 | 300 ml | 295.74 ml | 400 ml |
| 24 | 360 ml | 354.88 ml | 480 ml |
| 32 | 480 ml | 473.18 ml | 640 ml |
How many tablespoons make up the other recipe measures?
| Measure | Millilitres | Metric tablespoons | Australian tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | 0.3333 | 0.25 |
| 1 dessertspoon | 10 ml | 0.6667 | 0.5 |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | 1 | 0.75 |
| 1 fluid ounce on a label | 30 ml | 2 | 1.5 |
| 1 miniature bottle of 50 ml | 50 ml | 3.3333 | 2.5 |
| 1/4 US cup | 59.15 ml | 3.9431 | 2.9574 |
| 1/3 US cup | 78.86 ml | 5.2575 | 3.9431 |
| 1/2 US cup | 118.29 ml | 7.8863 | 5.9147 |
| 1 US cup | 236.59 ml | 15.7725 | 11.8294 |
| 1 metric cup | 250 ml | 16.6667 | 12.5 |
| 1 drinks can of 330 ml | 330 ml | 22 | 16.5 |
| 1 litre | 1000 ml | 66.6667 | 50 |
How many teaspoons does a tablespoon hold in different countries?
| Kind of spoon | Millilitres | In teaspoons | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric tablespoon | 15 ml | 3 | Europe and the United Kingdom |
| Tablespoon on a US label | 15 ml | 3 | United States: nutrition panels |
| US customary tablespoon | 14.78676478125 ml | 2.9574 | United States: recipes and measuring sets |
| Australian tablespoon | 20 ml | 4 | Australia: recipes and measuring sets |
| Pre-metric British tablespoon | 14.2065 ml | 2.8413 | United Kingdom: cookbooks written before metrication |
| Victorian serving tablespoon | 25 ml | 5 | United Kingdom: the nineteenth and early twentieth century |
| Dessertspoon | 10 ml | 2 | United Kingdom and United States: recipes and old apothecary measures |
| Teaspoon | 5 ml | 1 | Europe, the United States and Australia alike |
Which number formats does this converter handle?
| What you type | What the converter shows | How we read it |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 | 37.5 ml | The point is the decimal separator, so this is two and a half tablespoons. |
| 2,5 | 37.5 ml | A comma followed by one digit is a European decimal comma, so we read it as two and a half. |
| 1,500 | 22500 ml | Three digits after the comma mark a thousands separator, so we count one thousand five hundred tablespoons. The note “Read as 1500. If you meant 1.5, type 1.5.” appears under the field. |
| 1/2 | 7.5 ml | We convert a fraction with a slash directly, so half a tablespoon goes in exactly as the recipe writes it. |
| 1 1/2 | 22.5 ml | A mixed number with a space between the whole number and the fraction reads as one and a half tablespoons. |
| 1-1/2 | 22.5 ml | A hyphen between the whole number and the fraction, as some American recipes write it, is read like a space. |
| 1½ | 22.5 ml | A ½ character copied from a recipe is added to the number in front of it. |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | A unit pasted along with the number doesn’t get in the way, so we count two tablespoons. |
Which tablespoon should you pick in the converter?
The choice follows from where the recipe or the packaging comes from.
For a British, Irish or European recipe, keep the metric spoon
Leave the switch on the metric spoon. Fifteen millilitres to a spoonful is what recipes from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the rest of Europe mean[1].For the customary spoon counted in fluid ounces, pick the US spoon
Set the US spoon when you are counting the customary spoon, which is half a fluid ounce. The gap against the metric spoon is 0.21 millilitres on one spoonful. Over sixteen spoonfuls it grows to 3.41 millilitres, about two thirds of a teaspoon.For an Australian recipe, pick the Australian spoon
Set the Australian spoon for recipes from Australia. One spoonful is 20 millilitres there, so four spoonfuls come to 80 millilitres. The metric spoon puts the same four spoonfuls at 60 millilitres.For an American nutrition label, keep the metric spoon
The nutrition panel on an American product counts a tablespoon as a round 15 millilitres[3], so the metric spoon is the one to use for it.
Is a spoonful of flour the same amount as a spoonful of oil?
The volume is the same: both portions hold 15 millilitres, because that is what the spoon holds when it is filled to the rim.
The weight comes out differently, because it depends on the ingredient. Fifteen millilitres of water weigh 15 grams. Olive oil at the same volume is lighter, and honey is heavier.
That is where the difference between a level and a heaped spoonful comes from. A level spoonful is the portion struck flat with the back of a knife, and only that one holds 15 millilitres. A heaped spoonful holds more, and how much more depends on how loose the ingredient is.
Convert other units to Millilitres
Convert Tablespoons to other units
Sources
- Tablespoon — Wikipedia
- AS 1325-1972 — Metric measuring cups and spoons and standard litre measure for domestic purposes — Standards Australia
- 21 CFR 101.9 — Nutrition labeling of food — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- Cup (unit) — Wikipedia
- Inaccuracies in dosing drugs with teaspoons and tablespoons — International Journal of Clinical Practice
Every figure in the tables was computed from the unit definitions and checked arithmetically before publication. Historical values and the names of local units come from the sources listed above.
Content last reviewed: · written and checked by the Arteon team
Common questions about converting tablespoons to millilitres
How much does the spoon I eat soup with hold?
Cutlery has no fixed capacity, so the figure depends on the model. The conversions on this page use the tablespoon from a kitchen measuring set, which holds 15 millilitres. In a study that measured 49 tablespoons collected from twenty-five households, the authors found cutlery unreliable for dosing medicines[5].
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