Tablespoons to Milliliters (tbsp to mL)

How to convert tablespoons to mL

Multiply the tablespoons by 14.7868:

mL = tbsp × 14.7867648

3 tbsp × 14.787 = 44.36 mL. A U.S. tablespoon is defined as half a fluid ounce, and a fluid ounce is 29.5735 mL, so the factor is 14.7868. To go the other way, see mL to tbsp.

For cooking, 15 mL per tablespoon is close enough: the difference is about 1.4%, less than the error of filling a spoon by eye. That rounding is also official for packaged food — FDA nutrition-labeling rules state a tablespoon as 15 mL — so a serving of “1 tbsp (15 mL)” on a bottle and 14.79 mL from the converter describe the same spoon.

Tablespoons to mL chart

Metric, U.S. and Australian spoons

Recipes from different countries use slightly different spoons:

The U.S. and metric spoons are interchangeable in practice. The Australian spoon holds a third more, so when an Australian recipe asks for 2 tablespoons of an ingredient that matters, such as baking powder or salt, use 40 mL, or 2 U.S. tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.

In the kitchen

Two tablespoons make one fluid ounce (29.57 mL), and 16 tablespoons make a cup (236.6 mL). A measuring jug marked in milliliters is handy for larger amounts: 6 tbsp of oil is 89 mL, a little over a third of a cup. For teaspoons, see tsp to mL; for cups, cups to tbsp. For dry ingredients, volume and weight differ by ingredient — a tablespoon of flour weighs about 8 g, of sugar about 12.5 g — so use tbsp to grams when a recipe gives grams.

For medicine, kitchen spoons are not accurate: their size varies a lot. Use the dosing cup or oral syringe that comes with the product, and follow the label or a pharmacist.

When scaling a recipe, convert once and keep the unit: doubling 3 tablespoons of oil gives 6 tablespoons, or 88.7 mL, which is easier to pour from a jug than to count out by the spoonful. For small amounts below a tablespoon, teaspoons are more precise — a tablespoon is exactly 3 teaspoons, so half a tablespoon is 1½ teaspoons.