Type a number of tablespoons and see it as a cup fraction you can measure, such as 3/4 cup, plus millilitres, teaspoons and fluid ounces for US, metric and Australian spoons.
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This tablespoons to cups converter is for home cooks and bakers who need to scale a recipe or swap a pile of spoonfuls for one cup measure. It divides by 16 for US cups, shows the nearest measuring cup fraction, and switches to metric or Australian spoons when your recipe comes from another country.
How Many Tablespoons Are in a Cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup, so divide tablespoons by 16 to get cups. For example, 12 tablespoons divided by 16 is 0.75, which is 3/4 cup or about 177 ml. With a 250 ml metric cup and 15 ml tablespoon, there are about 16.7 tablespoons per cup, and with Australian 20 ml tablespoons there are 12.5.
What Is the Formula for Tablespoons to Cups?
The formula is cups = tablespoons ÷ 16 for US measures, because a US customary cup holds 8 US fluid ounces and each tablespoon holds half a fluid ounce. NIST, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, lists 1 tablespoon as 15 ml and 1 cup as 240 ml in its kitchen guide, which gives the same 16 to 1 ratio. The exact customary cup is 236.588 ml and the exact tablespoon is 14.787 ml.
metric cups = (tablespoons × 15 ml) ÷ 250 ml
Australian cups = (tablespoons × 20 ml) ÷ 250 ml
For nutrition labeling in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration rounds the cup to 240 ml and the tablespoon to 15 ml, so a Nutrition Facts serving of 2 tablespoons is 30 ml.
Tablespoons to Cups Conversion Table
Common amounts, rounded to the nearest measuring cup you are likely to own:
| Tablespoons | US cups | Fraction | US ml | Metric cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.0625 | 1/16 | 14.8 | 0.06 |
| 2 | 0.125 | 1/8 | 29.6 | 0.12 |
| 4 | 0.25 | 1/4 | 59.1 | 0.24 |
| 5 + 1 tsp | 0.333 | 1/3 | 78.9 | 0.32 |
| 6 | 0.375 | 3/8 | 88.7 | 0.36 |
| 8 | 0.5 | 1/2 | 118.3 | 0.48 |
| 10 + 2 tsp | 0.667 | 2/3 | 157.7 | 0.64 |
| 12 | 0.75 | 3/4 | 177.4 | 0.72 |
| 16 | 1 | 1 | 236.6 | 0.96 |
| 32 | 2 | 2 | 473.2 | 1.92 |
Is a UK or Metric Cup the Same as a US Cup?
No, a metric cup is 250 ml, about 5.7% bigger than the 236.6 ml US cup. Canada, New Zealand and Australia use the 250 ml cup. The UK has no official cup, so British recipes are usually written in grams and millilitres. When a UK recipe does say cups, it may mean a US cup or a 250 ml metric cup, so check where the recipe came from. The UK tablespoon is 15 ml. The Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, which is why 12 Australian tablespoons fill about a whole 250 ml cup. For other liquid amounts, try the ml to oz converter.
Should You Measure Dry Ingredients by Tablespoons or Weight?
Weight is more accurate for dry ingredients, because a spoon of flour can vary a lot depending on how it is packed. A level tablespoon of flour is roughly 8 g, while the same spoon of sugar is about 12 g to 13 g. For baking, convert your cups to grams with the grams to cups converter, and for small weights the grams to ounces converter helps.
Worked Example
A cookie recipe needs 12 tablespoons of melted butter, and Priya wants to use one measuring cup. She enters 12 with US cup selected. The tool shows 3/4 cup, which is 0.75 cups, 177.4 ml, 36 teaspoons and 6 US fluid ounces. Her friend in Sydney switches to Australia: the same 12 tablespoons of 20 ml are 240 ml, shown as about 1 cup (0.96 cups), with 12.5 tablespoons per cup. In the Metric UK setting the answer is about 3/4 cup, or 0.72 of a 250 ml cup.
How Do You Use the Tablespoons to Cups Converter?
Enter tablespoons
Type the number of tablespoons from your recipe. Decimals like 2.5 work.
Pick the system
Choose US cup, US label 240 ml, Metric UK or Australia to match your recipe.
Read the cup fraction
The big result is the nearest measuring cup fraction, with the exact decimal below.
Check ml and teaspoons
See the same amount in millilitres, teaspoons, US fluid ounces and spoons per cup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cups is 8 tablespoons?
8 tablespoons is 1/2 cup in US measures, because 8 divided by 16 is 0.5. That is about 118 ml. In a 250 ml metric cup it is 0.48 cups, so a level half cup is close enough for most recipes.
How many tablespoons make 1/3 cup?
1/3 US cup is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. One cup has 16 tablespoons, and 16 divided by 3 is 5.33, while 0.33 of a tablespoon is 1 teaspoon. Typing 5.333 into the tool gives 1/3 cup.
How many tablespoons are in 3/4 cup?
3/4 US cup is 12 tablespoons, because 16 times 0.75 is 12. That equals about 177 ml or 6 US fluid ounces. With Australian 20 ml tablespoons, 3/4 of a 250 ml cup is about 9.4 tablespoons.
Is a tablespoon 15 ml or 20 ml?
Both are used. The US, UK, Canada and New Zealand use about 15 ml, and US food labels use exactly 15 ml. Australia uses a 20 ml tablespoon. Pick the Australia button when an Australian recipe lists tablespoons.
Does a heaped tablespoon change the conversion?
Yes. This converter assumes level spoons, scraped flat with a knife. A heaped spoon of a dry ingredient can hold nearly twice as much, so recipes that say heaped will not match an exact cup conversion.
How many tablespoons are in a stick of butter?
One US stick of butter is 8 tablespoons, which is 1/2 cup or 4 ounces by weight, about 113 g. Two sticks make 1 cup, and the tool shows 16 tablespoons as exactly 1 cup.
Sources and Further Reading
- NIST: Metric kitchen cooking measurement equivalencies
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement
- US eCFR: 21 CFR 101.9, nutrition labeling of food (teaspoon, tablespoon and cup)
- Wikipedia: Tablespoon (national sizes, including 20 ml Australian)
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Last reviewed: October 2026