Tablespoons to Ounces Converter
ConversionsChoose fluid ounces for liquids or ounces of weight for dry ingredients, then enter the amount. A tablespoon is exactly half a fluid ounce, but what it weighs depends on what is in the spoon.
Step by step
3 tbsp = 1.5 fl oz
- A US tablespoon is 14.7868 mL and a metric one is 15 mL. A US fluid ounce is 29.5735 mL.
- Volume of 3 tbsp: 44.36 mL.
- Fluid ounces: that volume divided by 29.5735 is 1.5 fl oz. In US cups, divide by 236.588: 0.1875 cup.
Once every entry is valid, you’ll see each step of the calculation here.
Formula
- fl oz
- US fluid ounces, a measure of volume: 29.5735 mL each, 2 tablespoons
- tbsp
- US tablespoons, level, half a fluid ounce or 14.7868 mL each
- Vtbsp
- milliliters in the tablespoon you chose: 14.7868 for the US spoon, 15 for the metric one (3 metric tbsp = 1.5216 fl oz)
- oz
- ounces of weight (avoirdupois), 28.3495 g each
- density
- grams per milliliter of the ingredient, for example 0.521 for all-purpose flour
How it works
The word ounce stands for two different units, and that is the main thing to know when you convert tablespoons. A fluid ounce measures volume. A US tablespoon is exactly half a US fluid ounce, so 2 tablespoons make 1 fluid ounce, and 16 tablespoons make 8 fluid ounces, which is one cup. To change tablespoons to fluid ounces, divide by 2: 3 tbsp is 1.5 fl oz. To go back, multiply by 2: 4 fl oz is 8 tbsp.
An ounce of weight measures mass, and a tablespoon of an ingredient weighs what its density says. A level tablespoon of all-purpose flour is about 7.7 g, or 0.27 oz, while a tablespoon of honey is about 20.9 g, or 0.74 oz. This is why 1 oz of weight is roughly 2 tablespoons only for water-like liquids, and even for water it is about 1.92. By weight, 1 oz is about 3.7 tablespoons of flour, 2.2 of granulated sugar and 1.4 of honey. Choose tbsp → oz (wt) or oz (wt) → tbsp, pick the ingredient, and the converter uses its density from the FAO/INFOODS Density Database or, for honey, 1.415 g/mL, the middle of the 1.38 to 1.45 kg/L that Wikipedia gives at 20 °C. The chart under the converter lists all 14 ingredients.
The tablespoon itself differs by country. The US tablespoon is 14.79 mL, the metric tablespoon on nutrition labels is 15 mL, and the formal British tablespoon is half an imperial fluid ounce, about 14.2 mL. An imperial fluid ounce is 28.41 mL, about 4% smaller than a US one, so a US tablespoon is 0.5204 imperial fluid ounces. Butter is sold by weight in 4 oz sticks marked in 8 tablespoons, which makes a tablespoon of butter about half an ounce. For related units, see the tablespoons to teaspoons converter, the cups to tablespoons converter, the mL to tbsp converter and the grams to cups converter.
The formula
The relation between tablespoons and fluid ounces is exact by definition: the NIST handbook defines the US tablespoon as half a fluid ounce, and a fluid ounce is 29.5735295625 mL. With a metric 15 mL tablespoon the result changes by 1.4%, because 15 / 14.7868 = 1.0144. The weight of a tablespoon is a measurement, not a definition, and so is an estimate.
Powders and grains are measured as bulk density, which includes the air between the grains, so a tablespoon of flour can weigh noticeably more when it is packed or scooped than when it is spooned and leveled. The FAO database lists wheat flour from 0.48 to 0.67 g/mL. The figures here are for level tablespoons. For baking that needs precision, weigh the ingredient on a scale.
Example
How many fluid ounces are 3 tablespoons?
- A US tablespoon is half a fluid ounce, so divide by 2: 3 / 2 = 1.5 fl oz.
- In milliliters that is 44.36 mL, or 0.1875 cup.
- For ounces of weight the answer depends on the ingredient: 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour weigh about 0.82 oz, and 3 tablespoons of water about 1.56 oz.
3 tbsp = 1.5 fl oz, which is 44.36 mL.
Load this example into the calculatorFrequently asked questions
Does 1oz equal 1 tablespoon?
No. 1 fluid ounce is 2 tablespoons, so 1 tablespoon is half a fluid ounce, 0.5 fl oz. By weight it varies: 1 oz of all-purpose flour is about 3.7 tablespoons, of granulated sugar about 2.2, of honey about 1.4 and of water about 1.9. No ingredient in the chart weighs a full ounce per tablespoon.
How many cups is 1/4 oz?
1/4 fluid ounce is 1/32 of a cup, or 0.03125 cup. That is half a tablespoon, or 1 1/2 teaspoons. For 1/4 oz of weight it depends on the ingredient: 1/4 oz of all-purpose flour is about 0.92 tablespoon, which is roughly 0.057 cup.
How many tbsp are in a cup?
There are 16 US tablespoons in a US cup, because a cup is 8 fluid ounces and a tablespoon is half of one. So 1/2 cup is 8 tbsp, 1/3 cup is 5 1/3 tbsp and 1/4 cup is 4 tbsp. A 250 mL metric cup holds 16 2/3 tablespoons of 15 mL.
How many ounces of dry powder are in a tablespoon?
It depends on the powder, because ounces here means weight. A level tablespoon of all-purpose flour weighs about 0.27 oz, of cornstarch 0.28 oz, of powdered sugar 0.29 oz, of granulated sugar 0.46 oz and of table salt 0.63 oz. The chart under the converter lists 14 ingredients with grams and ounces per tablespoon.
How do I convert tablespoons to dry ounces?
Choose "tbsp → oz (wt)", pick the ingredient and enter the tablespoons. The converter multiplies by the ounces that one tablespoon of that ingredient weighs. 8 tablespoons of granulated sugar are 3.67 oz and 8 tablespoons of all-purpose flour are 2.17 oz. There is no single factor for all dry ingredients.
How many tablespoons are in a dry ounce?
It depends on the ingredient, since a dry ounce is a unit of weight. One ounce is about 3.7 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 3.4 of powdered sugar, 2.2 of granulated sugar, 1.6 of table salt and 1.4 of honey. Choose "oz (wt) → tbsp" and the ingredient to get the number for any weight.
How many tablespoons are in 32 dry ounces?
32 ounces of weight is 2 pounds. That is about 117.8 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (7.4 cups), 69.7 tablespoons of granulated sugar (4.4 cups) or 50.4 tablespoons of table salt (3.2 cups). Pick the ingredient in the converter and enter 32 in "oz (wt) → tbsp".
How many tablespoons are in 0.8 ounces of dry weight?
0.8 oz of weight is about 2.94 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 1.74 of granulated sugar, 1.26 of table salt and 1.08 of honey. By volume, 0.8 fluid ounces is 1.6 tablespoons. The ingredient decides the answer, so choose it before you read the number.
How many tablespoons is 4 ounces?
For a liquid, 4 fluid ounces is 8 tablespoons, which is half a cup. For dry ingredients by weight, 4 oz is about 14.7 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 8.7 of granulated sugar and 5.4 of honey. A 4 oz stick of butter is sold marked in 8 tablespoons.
How can you find the number of tablespoons in a fluid ounce?
Multiply the fluid ounces by 2. A US fluid ounce holds 2 tablespoons, so 1 fl oz is 2 tbsp, 3 fl oz is 6 tbsp and 6 fl oz is 12 tbsp. For an imperial fluid ounce, divide its 28.41 mL by the 14.79 mL of a US tablespoon: it holds 1.92 tablespoons.
What is a US tablespoon (US tbsp)?
A US tablespoon is a measure of volume equal to half a US fluid ounce, 3 teaspoons or 1/16 of a cup. That is 14.78676478125 mL, usually rounded to 14.79 mL. It is the size of the standard measuring spoon in American recipes and is written tbsp, Tbsp or T.
What is an imperial fluid ounce (imperial fl oz)?
It is the fluid ounce of the British imperial system, 28.4130625 mL, a twentieth of an imperial pint. A US fluid ounce is 29.5735295625 mL, about 4% larger. One US tablespoon is 0.5204 imperial fl oz, and the older British tablespoon was half an imperial fluid ounce (14.21 mL). The converter shows the imperial value too.
What is the difference between fluid ounces and ounces?
A fluid ounce measures volume, the space a liquid takes up. An ounce measures weight. They match only by accident: a fluid ounce of water weighs about 1.04 oz (29.5 g), a fluid ounce of honey about 1.5 oz and a fluid ounce of flour about 0.54 oz. That is why the tablespoon answer changes with the unit you mean.
How many tablespoons of butter are in 1 oz or 4 oz?
A US stick of butter weighs 4 oz (about 113 g) and is sold marked in 8 tablespoons, so 1 tablespoon of butter is about half an ounce. That makes 1 oz of butter 2 tablespoons and 4 oz 8 tablespoons, or half a cup. Butter is not in the ingredient list because it is sold by the stick.
How many tablespoons are 1/2 ounce, 6 oz or 12 oz?
For fluid ounces, multiply by 2: 1/2 fl oz is 1 tbsp, 6 fl oz is 12 tbsp and 12 fl oz is 24 tbsp. For ounces of weight it depends on the ingredient: 6 oz of all-purpose flour is about 22 tablespoons and 6 oz of granulated sugar about 13.
How many ounces are 2, 3, 5 or 8 tablespoons?
In fluid ounces: 2 tbsp is 1, 3 tbsp is 1.5, 5 tbsp is 2.5 and 8 tbsp is 4. In ounces of weight, 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour weigh 0.82 oz, 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar 2.3 oz and 8 tablespoons of honey 5.9 oz.
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General tables of units of measurement (fluid ounce, tablespoon, cup) (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: Factors for Units Listed Alphabetically (fluid ounce, cup and ounce) (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- FAO/INFOODS Density Database, Version 2.0 (2012): densities of foods in g/mL, used for every ingredient except honey (FAO / INFOODS)
- 21 CFR 101.9, Nutrition labeling of food (a tablespoon means 15 mL, 1 fl oz means 30 mL) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)
- Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1 (imperial gallon) (legislation.gov.uk)
- Honey: density between 1.38 and 1.45 kg/L at 20 °C (Wikipedia)
- Tablespoon (Wikipedia)
- Cooking weights and measures: the stick of butter (Wikipedia)