Convert cups to tablespoons or tablespoons to cups, with US and metric units plus mL, liters, and teaspoons for quick volume conversions.
Assumptions Assumptions
- Conversions are volume-to-volume only—no density or weight adjustments.
- Measurements are level (not heaping or packed) and taken at typical room temperature.
- Unit standards used: US cup ≈ 236.588 mL, US tbsp ≈ 14.7868 mL and US tsp ≈ 4.92892 mL. The calculator uses unrounded factors, so 1 US cup = 16 US tbsp and 1 US tbsp = 3 US tsp exactly. Metric cup = 250 mL; metric tbsp = 15 mL. Other culinary cup/spoon standards are not included.
- UK/Imperial tablespoon and cup sizes are not supported.
When to Use This Calculator
- Scaling recipes up or down when ingredient units differ (cups vs. tablespoons).
- Standardizing recipe cards across US and metric kitchens.
- Quick kitchen math without looking up separate conversion charts.
Input Definitions
- Cups — select US (about 236.588 mL) or metric (250 mL), or enter directly in mL/L. Choose a conversion direction and enter the source amount.
- Tablespoons — select US tbsp (about 14.7868 mL) or metric tbsp (15 mL); US tsp (about 4.92892 mL) is available for convenience.
- Conversions — US: tbsp = cups × 16; cups = tbsp ÷ 16. General: tbsp = cups × (cup_mL ÷ tbsp_mL).
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Cups to Tbsp Formula
The following formulas convert cups to tablespoons and back. US customary units are shown first, followed by a general formula using milliliters.
tbsp = 16 cups
cups = (tbsp) / (16)
- US cup ≈ 236.588 mL
- Metric cup = 250 mL.
- US tablespoon ≈ 14.7868 mL
- Metric tablespoon = 15 mL.
How do you convert cups to tablespoons? In US cooking, multiply cups by 16 to get tablespoons. For metric, first convert cups to mL (×250), then divide by 15 to get metric tablespoons.
How do you convert tablespoons to cups? For US units, divide tablespoons by 16. For metric, multiply tablespoons by 15 mL and divide by the chosen cup size (typically 250 mL).
Cups to Tbsp Conversion Table
| Cups (US) | Tablespoons (US) |
|---|---|
| 1/16 | 1.000 |
| ⅛ | 2.000 |
| 1/6 | 2.667 |
| ¼ | 4.000 |
| ⅓ | 5.333 |
| ⅜ | 6.000 |
| ½ | 8.000 |
| ⅝ | 10.000 |
| ⅔ | 10.667 |
| ¾ | 12.000 |
| ⅞ | 14.000 |
| 1 | 16.000 |
| 1¼ | 20.000 |
| 1⅓ | 21.333 |
| 1½ | 24.000 |
| 1¾ | 28.000 |
| 2 | 32.000 |
| 2½ | 40.000 |
| 3 | 48.000 |
| 4 | 64.000 |
| * US customary: 1 cup = 16 tablespoons. | |
Example Problem
Convert 2.5 US cups to US tablespoons.
Use the US formula: tbsp = cups × 16.
tbsp = 2.5 × 16 = 40 tbsp
