Cups to Tablespoons Calculator
Enter an amount in cups, tablespoons or teaspoons to see it in all three, plus milliliters and US fluid ounces. Pick US customary or metric kitchen measures to match your recipe.
Last updated November 3, 2026
Above 0, up to 1,000,000.
Result
1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp
| Unit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cups | 1 |
| Tablespoons | 16 |
| Teaspoons | 48 |
| Milliliters | 236.5882 mL |
| US fluid ounces | 8 |
| In spoons | 16 tbsp |
The "In spoons" line shows whole tablespoons plus leftover teaspoons, with the leftover rounded to the nearest 1/4 teaspoon. Australian tablespoons hold 20 mL; this tool uses the US 14.79 mL tablespoon.
Show the work
Formula: milliliters = amount × mL per unit; result = milliliters ÷ mL per target unit. US customary: 1 cup = 236.5882 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.7868 mL, 1 tsp = 4.9289 mL.
- You entered 1 cup in the US customary system.
- Milliliters: 1 × 236.5882 mL = 236.5882 mL.
- Cups: 236.5882 ÷ 236.5882 = 1.
- Tablespoons: 236.5882 ÷ 14.7868 = 16.
- Teaspoons: 236.5882 ÷ 4.9289 = 48.
- In spoons: 1 cup is 16 tbsp (leftover teaspoons rounded to 1/4).
Result: 1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp
How cups convert to tablespoons
milliliters = amount × mL per unit
tablespoons = milliliters ÷ mL per tablespoon
US: 1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp
Every kitchen unit here is a fixed volume in milliliters. The calculator multiplies your amount by the milliliters in the unit you chose, then divides by the milliliters in each target unit.
In the US customary system, one cup is exactly 236.5882365 mL, which comes from the definition of the US gallon as 3.785411784 liters and 16 cups to the gallon. A tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, 14.78676478125 mL, and a teaspoon is one third of a tablespoon, 4.92892159375 mL. So 1 cup is 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons, and 1 US fluid ounce is 2 tablespoons.
The metric kitchen system uses round numbers instead: a cup is 250 mL, a tablespoon 15 mL and a teaspoon 5 mL. One cup is then 16.6667 tablespoons, which is 16⅔, or exactly 50 teaspoons.
See how we calculate for the formulas, sources and review schedule behind every calculator.
Also useful alongside this calculator: Volume Calculator and Length Converter.
Common fractions of a cup in spoons
Recipes rarely call for a whole number of cups, so the fractions matter most. A quarter cup is 4 tablespoons, half a cup is 8, and three quarters of a cup is 12. An eighth of a cup is 2 tablespoons.
Thirds are the awkward ones. One third of a cup is 5⅓ tablespoons, which is 16 teaspoons, so you can measure it as 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. Two thirds of a cup is 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.
The spoon split line rounds the leftover teaspoons to the nearest quarter teaspoon, because smaller amounts cannot be measured with real spoons. If rounding would reach a full tablespoon, it is carried over into the tablespoon count.
US, metric and Australian measures
The US cup holds 236.59 mL, while the metric cup holds 250 mL, about 13.41 mL more. The US tablespoon of 14.79 mL is about 1.4 percent smaller than the metric 15 mL tablespoon, a gap you will rarely notice in a stew but may see in baking.
An Australian tablespoon is larger, at 20 mL. It is not a selectable option here. If a recipe uses Australian spoons, 1 metric cup of 250 mL is 12.5 of those tablespoons, and every tablespoon equals 4 metric teaspoons.
Dry and liquid measuring cups
Liquid measuring cups have a spout and a line below the rim. Dry cups are filled to the top and levelled off. Both aim at the same volume, so the spoon count is the same.
Spooned flour packs differently from scooped flour, though, so the same cup can hold different weights. This page converts volume only. For grams, use Grams to Cups, which accounts for the ingredient.
Edge cases and limits
The amount must be a finite number above 0 and at most 1,000,000. Decimals are fine, so 0.125 cup is accepted, but fractions such as 1/3 must be typed as 0.3333.
Results are rounded to four decimals for display only. A typed 0.3333 is a hair under a true third, yet the spoon split still reads 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon.
How to use the Cups to Tablespoons Calculator
- Type the amount you want to convert.
- Choose whether it is in cups, tablespoons or teaspoons.
- Pick US customary or Metric kitchen under Measuring system.
- Read the cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters and fluid ounces, plus the spoon split.
- Open Show the work to see each multiplication and division, or use Copy, Print or Share.
Worked example
A recipe asks for 1/3 cup of oil. In US measures that is 78.86 mL, 5⅓ tablespoons or 16 teaspoons, which reads as 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.
| Cups | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 | 2 | 6 | 29.57 |
| 1/4 | 4 | 12 | 59.15 |
| 1/3 | 5⅓ | 16 | 78.86 |
| 1/2 | 8 | 24 | 118.29 |
| 2/3 | 10⅔ | 32 | 157.73 |
| 3/4 | 12 | 36 | 177.44 |
| 1 | 16 | 48 | 236.59 |
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
A US cup holds 16 tablespoons. A metric kitchen cup of 250 mL holds 16.6667 tablespoons of 15 mL each, and an Australian cup holds 12.5 tablespoons of 20 mL.
How many tablespoons are in 1/3 cup?
One third of a US cup is 5⅓ tablespoons, which you can measure as 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.
How many teaspoons are in a cup?
A US cup is 48 teaspoons, while a metric cup is 50 teaspoons. In both systems 3 teaspoons make 1 tablespoon.
Is a tablespoon the same everywhere?
No. The US tablespoon is 14.79 mL, the metric one is 15 mL and the Australian one is 20 mL. For most cooking the first two are interchangeable, but check the recipe origin for baking.
Can I convert tablespoons to cups here too?
Yes. Choose tablespoons as the starting unit and enter the amount. For example, 8 US tablespoons is half a cup, and 6 tablespoons is 0.375 cup.