How Many ml In A Tablespoon
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 05/01/2022 - Last updated on 10/26/2023
This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Knowing how many ml are in a tablespoon is essential as the imperial units of measurement for volume are not at all approximative!
While many people see a tablespoon or a teaspoon as basic cutlery items, they are also very specific units that are used to measure volume.
How Many Milliliters Are In A Tablespoon?
A tablespoon is a unit of volume defined in imperial measurements as 3 teaspoons, but also as 1/16 of a cup, or 1/2 United States fluid ounce.
A tablespoon is also equivalent to 4 fluid drams which is a unit of volume that comes from the Greek drachm.
In the international system of units of measure (or metrics) a US cup measures 236ml.
As a result, a tablespoon measures precisely 14.7868 milliliters (ml in SI). Which is most of the time rounded to 15 ml.
However, it’s not all that simple as not all countries have the same conventions!
- A UK Tablespoon measures exactly 15ml, and a teaspoon is 5ml.
- An Australian Tablespoon has a volume of 20ml but with the same 5ml tablespoon.
- A Metric Tablespoon is also 15ml, but it is very rarely used. Most people using the metric system use ml.
Because tablespoons are a specific unit of measure, it’s essential to buy proper measuring spoons instead of using any type of tablespoons.
It’s quite likely to your regular teaspoons or tablespoons are far from measuring 5ml and 15ml!
More Conversion Tools
Volume Conversion Chart
The best way to convert tablespoons and teaspoons to mL is to use Google’s converter.
By just Googling “1 tablespoon in ml“, you get the immediate answer!
The way to convert is by multiplying the number of tablespoons by 15. Doing so might be challenging, but it’s way easier to actually first multiply by 5, then by 3.
For example, 8 tablespoons are 8x5x3 = 40×3 = 120ml.
But you can also use the following conversion chart that also includes US cups.
| Cup (US) | Tablespoon (US) | Teaspoon (US) | Metric (Rounded) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Cups | 32 Tablespoons | 96 Teaspoons | 480ml |
| 1 Cup | 16 Tablespoons | 48 Teaspoons | 240ml |
| 3/4 Cup | 12 Tablespoons | 36 Teaspoons | 180ml |
| 2/3 Cup | 10 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons | 32 Teaspoons | 160ml |
| 1/2 Cup | 8 Tablespoons | 24 Teaspoons | 120ml |
| 1/3 Cup | 5 Tablespoons + 1 Teaspoon | 16 Teaspoons | 80ml |
| 1/4 Cup | 4 Tablespoons | 12 Teaspoons | 60ml |
| 1/6 Cup | 2 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons | 8 Teaspoons | 40ml |
| 1/8 Cup | 2 Tablespoons | 6 Teaspoons | 30ml |
| 1/16 Cup | 1 Tablespoon | 3 Teaspoons | 15ml |
| 1/2 Tablespoon | 1 1/2 Teaspoons | 7.5ml | |
| 1/3 Tablespoon | 1 Teaspoon | 5ml | |
| 1/2 Teaspoon | 2.5ml |
How Many mL Are In A Teaspoon?
A US teaspoon (tsp) is a third of a US tablespoon (tbsp). As a result, a US teaspoon measures precisely 4.92892 mL, rounded to 5mL.
Dry Measurements
When a recipe calls for a tablespoon of a dry ingredient such as almond flour or coconut flour, it is meant to represent the equivalent volume.
As a result, a tablespoon of dry ingredients should be measured after leveling without pressing.
Some recipes occasionally call for a heaped or rounded tablespoon, in which case the measurement doesn’t need to be accurate and you don’t have to level it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ml means milliliter, it’s a unit of measure in the SI (International System) of units that is defined as 1/1000 (from the prefix milli-) of a liter.
Since a liter is equivalent to 1000 cubic centimeters, 1ml = 1cubic cm. Hence why one tablespoon is also 15 cubic centimeters.
One Tablespoon contains approximately 0.9 cubic inches.
Litres are the base unit of measure for volumes in the metric system. One liter contains 1,000ml.
No, the tbsp abbreviation (also found as the uppercase letter T) describes a tablespoon or 15ml in the USA (20ml in Australia).
5ml is the volume of a teaspoon, abbreviated tsp (or the lowercase letter t).
On Sweetashoney, to avoid any confusion, we always write the full Tablespoon or Teaspoon!
About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
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The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only. The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates.
You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
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What currency is the ebooks in. I’m just this diet
US currency