Teaspoons in a Tablespoon: Tsp to Tbsp Converter
ConversionsPick tablespoons to teaspoons or teaspoons to tablespoons and enter the amount. A US tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, and you also see a fraction, fluid ounces and milliliters, plus two charts below.
Step by step
1 × 3 = 3
- A US tablespoon holds 3 teaspoons, so to get teaspoons, multiply the tablespoons by 3: 1 × 3 = 3.
- Fluid ounces: a tablespoon is half a fluid ounce, so 1 / 2 = 0.5.
- Milliliters: a tablespoon is 14.78676478125 mL, so 1 × 14.78676478125 = 14.79.
Once every entry is valid, you’ll see each step of the calculation here.
Formula
- tbsp
- volume in US tablespoons, half a US fluid ounce each
- tsp
- volume in US teaspoons, a sixth of a US fluid ounce each
- 3
- teaspoons in one tablespoon: ½ fluid ounce divided by ⅙ fluid ounce
- fl oz
- US fluid ounce, 29.5735295625 mL, an eighth of a cup
How it works
There are 3 teaspoons in a US tablespoon. The tablespoon is half a fluid ounce and the teaspoon is a sixth of one, so 1/2 divided by 1/6 gives 3. To change tablespoons to teaspoons, multiply by 3: 2 tablespoons are 6 teaspoons, and half a tablespoon is 1.5 teaspoons. To change teaspoons to tablespoons, divide by 3: 6 teaspoons are 2 tablespoons, and 8 teaspoons are 2 2/3 tablespoons, which is 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. A whole number of teaspoons that is not a multiple of 3 gives a fraction in thirds, so the converter writes 4 teaspoons as 1 1/3 tablespoons.
The same spoons convert to ounces and milliliters. One tablespoon is 1/2 fluid ounce, or about 14.79 mL, and one teaspoon is 1/6 fluid ounce, or about 4.93 mL. That is why 2 teaspoons are 1/3 fluid ounce, and 6 teaspoons or 2 tablespoons make one fluid ounce. These are fluid ounces, a measure of volume. An ounce of weight depends on the ingredient: a teaspoon of salt, sugar or flour each weighs something different. US nutrition labels round the spoons to 5 mL and 15 mL, which is about 1.4 percent more than the customary values, and the ratio is still 3 to 1.
Spoons also differ between countries. In Australia a tablespoon is 20 mL, which is four 5 mL teaspoons, so a recipe from there needs 4 teaspoons per tablespoon. The US customary spoons are used here. For bigger kitchen units, see the tablespoons in a cup converter, the cups to ounces converter and the cups in a pint converter; for milliliters and ounces, use the mL to oz converter.
The formula
The 3 follows from the definitions: a tablespoon is half a fluid ounce and each teaspoon makes up a third of it. A US fluid ounce is exactly 29.5735295625 mL, because the gallon is 231 cubic inches (3,785.411784 mL) and holds 128 fluid ounces. So a tablespoon is 14.78676478125 mL and a teaspoon 4.92892159375 mL. The calculation keeps full precision and trims digits only for display.
The fraction of a tablespoon uses the teaspoons exactly as typed, up to three decimals, and is reduced: 1 teaspoon is 1/3, 2 teaspoons are 2/3, 4 teaspoons are 1 1/3 and 1.5 teaspoons are 1/2.
Example
A recipe calls for 8 teaspoons of olive oil. How many tablespoons is that?
- 8 teaspoons / 3 teaspoons per tablespoon = 2.666667 tablespoons, written 2 2/3.
- That is 2 full tablespoons (6 teaspoons) plus 2 more teaspoons, or 1.3333 fluid ounces, or 39.43 milliliters.
8 teaspoons = 2.666667 tablespoons (2 2/3), or 1.3333 fluid ounces.
Load this example into the calculatorFrequently asked questions
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in a US tablespoon. Half a tablespoon is 1.5 teaspoons and a quarter tablespoon is 0.75 teaspoon. A tablespoon is also half a fluid ounce, and a cup holds 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons.
Is a teaspoon or a tablespoon bigger?
The tablespoon is bigger, by a factor of 3. A US tablespoon holds about 14.79 mL and a US teaspoon about 4.93 mL. On recipes and spoon sets, tbsp or T stands for the tablespoon and tsp or t for the teaspoon, so check the case of the letter.
Do 4 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon?
Not in the US. Four teaspoons are 1 1/3 tablespoons, which is 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon. Three teaspoons make a tablespoon. Australia is the exception: a tablespoon there is 20 mL, which is four 5 mL teaspoons.
Is 3 tsp to 1 tbsp correct?
Yes, the ratio is 3 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon. So 6 teaspoons are 2 tablespoons, 9 teaspoons are 3 tablespoons and 12 teaspoons are 4 tablespoons, which is a quarter cup. Any whole number of tablespoons is three times as many teaspoons.
How much is 8 teaspoons?
8 teaspoons are 2 2/3 tablespoons, which is 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons. In other units that is 1 1/3 fluid ounces, about 39.4 mL, or 1/6 of a cup. The converter shows the same numbers if you pick teaspoons to tablespoons and enter 8.
How do you convert teaspoons to tablespoons?
Divide the teaspoons by 3. For 6 teaspoons the answer is 2 tablespoons, for 10 teaspoons it is 3 1/3 tablespoons and for 1.5 teaspoons it is 1/2 tablespoon. For a whole number of teaspoons that is not a multiple of 3, the answer is a fraction in thirds.
How do you convert tablespoons to teaspoons?
Multiply the tablespoons by 3. For 5 tablespoons the answer is 15 teaspoons, for 3/4 tablespoon it is 2 1/4 teaspoons and for 1/4 tablespoon it is 3/4 teaspoon. Half a tablespoon is 1.5 teaspoons, so 1 1/2 tablespoons make 4 1/2 teaspoons.
How many teaspoons are in an ounce?
A fluid ounce is 6 teaspoons, or 2 tablespoons. So 1 teaspoon is 1/6 fluid ounce (0.1667), 2 teaspoons are 1/3 fluid ounce, 4 teaspoons are 2/3 fluid ounce and 5 teaspoons are 5/6 fluid ounce. Divide the teaspoons by 6 to get fluid ounces.
Is a teaspoon the same as an ounce on a scale?
No. A teaspoon measures volume, and an ounce on a scale measures weight. A teaspoon of water, salt or flour each weighs a different number of ounces, so there is no single conversion. Fluid ounces are a measure of volume, which is why the converter can turn spoons into fluid ounces.
Why do nutrition labels say 5 mL and 15 mL for spoons?
For nutrition labeling the FDA defines a teaspoon as 5 mL and a tablespoon as 15 mL (21 CFR 101.9). The customary spoons are slightly smaller, 4.93 mL and 14.79 mL, a difference of about 1.4 percent. Both versions keep the ratio of 3 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon.
How many tablespoons and teaspoons are in a cup?
A US cup is 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons, because a cup is 8 fluid ounces and a tablespoon is half of one. A half cup is 8 tablespoons or 24 teaspoons, and a quarter cup is 4 tablespoons or 12 teaspoons.
- NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: Factors for Units Listed Alphabetically (teaspoon, tablespoon, fluid ounce) (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- Approximate Conversions from U.S. Customary Measures to Metric (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- 21 CFR 101.9, Nutrition labeling of food (a teaspoon means 5 mL, a tablespoon 15 mL) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)
- Tablespoon (Wikipedia)
- Teaspoon (Wikipedia)