Tablespoons to Cups Converter

About this tool

This converter uses the standard US measurement: 1 cup equals exactly 16 tablespoons. Type a value into either field and the other updates instantly — nothing is sent to a server.

How to use it

1. Type a number of tablespoons in the Tablespoons box; the Cups box fills in.
2. To convert the other way, type a cup amount in Cups and read the tablespoons.
3. Use decimals for part cups: 0.25 for a quarter cup, 0.5 for a half cup.
4. For butter sticks, teaspoons and metric spoons, use the chart and notes further down.

Worked example

A US cup holds 16 tablespoons. Type 6 in Tablespoons and the Cups box shows 0.375 (6 ÷ 16), which is a quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons. Type 0.75 in Cups and the Tablespoons box shows 12 (0.75 × 16).

Quick reference table

Tablespoons	Cups
2 tbsp	1/8 cup
4 tbsp	1/4 cup
5⅓ tbsp	1/3 cup
8 tbsp	1/2 cup
12 tbsp	3/4 cup
16 tbsp	1 cup

Common use cases

• Scaling a recipe up or down between tablespoon and cup measurements
• Converting a recipe when you only have one size of measuring tool on hand
• Double-checking a measurement conversion while cooking or baking

Things to watch out for

This converter uses the US tablespoon and cup, which are standard for American recipes and US-made measuring tools — UK, Australian, and metric "cup" and "tablespoon" measurements use slightly different volumes, so a recipe from a different region may not convert perfectly using US ratios. For dry ingredients, tablespoon-to-cup conversions are by volume, not weight, so results can vary slightly depending on how tightly an ingredient like flour or brown sugar is packed.

Why this conversion trips people up

Sixteen isn't an intuitive number to multiply or divide by in your head, which is exactly why a recipe calling for "10 tablespoons" of something doesn't obviously translate to a clean fraction of a cup without doing the math. This tool handles that conversion instantly in either direction, whether you're scaling a recipe up, down, or just working with whatever measuring tool happens to be clean.

Tablespoons to cups chart

In the US system, 16 tablespoons make 1 cup.

Butter, sticks and metric differences

One US stick of butter is 8 tablespoons, which is 1/2 cup, so a recipe calling for 4 tablespoons of butter needs half a stick. A US tablespoon is about 14.79 ml. In Australia a tablespoon is 20 ml, so 4 Australian tablespoons make 80 ml rather than the 59 ml you would get from US ones. If a recipe is from outside the US, check which tablespoon it means before you convert.

Measuring tips

Level off dry ingredients like flour and sugar with a knife rather than heaping them. For liquids, use a clear measuring cup and read it at eye level. When a recipe is small, such as 2 tablespoons of oil, it is easier and more accurate to use the tablespoon directly than to measure a fraction of a cup. See the teaspoons to tablespoons converter for smaller amounts.

Tablespoons to cups: the formula

In US measuring, 16 tablespoons make 1 cup, so cups = tablespoons ÷ 16. Each tablespoon is 3 teaspoons or half a fluid ounce, about 14.8 ml, and a US cup is 8 fluid ounces or about 236.6 ml.

Measuring tips

• Level dry ingredients with a knife for a true tablespoon; a heaped spoon can hold 50% more.
• Use a liquid measuring cup for liquids, and read it at eye level.
• Recipes from the UK, Australia or Canada may use different spoon sizes, so check the source country if a result looks off.

Need teaspoons? Use Tsp to Tbsp, or convert metric amounts with Oz to ML and Grams to Ounces.