Tablespoons to Cups Converter

There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup, so divide tablespoons by 16 to get cups. 4 tablespoons is 1/4 cup, 8 is 1/2 cup and 12 is 3/4 cup. Amounts in between are easiest as a cup plus spoons: 10 tablespoons is 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.

Amount

Fractions like 2 1/2 work

Unit

Ingredient (optional, for grams)

0.625cups

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

147.9 mL · 5 fl oz

How to use

Type the number of tablespoons. Fractions like 2 1/2 work.
Switch to teaspoons if your recipe lists those.
Read the cups, then the cup-and-spoon combination to measure with.
Pick an ingredient if you'd rather weigh it in grams.

The formula and two worked examples

cups = tablespoons ÷ 16 and cups = teaspoons ÷ 48

6 tablespoons. 6 ÷ 16 = 0.375 cups. That's 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp, which is 3/8 cup. It isn't 1/4 cup, a common mix-up: 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons.

11 tablespoons. 11 ÷ 16 = 0.6875 cups. The closest single cup is 2/3 cup, which is 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons, so measure 2/3 cup + 1 tsp.

What this tool doesn't cover

It uses US measuring spoons and cups (1 tablespoon = 14.8 mL, 1 cup = 236.6 mL). Australian tablespoons are 20 mL, so 4 Australian tablespoons are 80 mL, not 1/4 cup. Dinner spoons aren't measuring spoons and can hold anywhere from 7 mL to 14 mL. Gram results are averages; a heaped spoon or packed cup weighs more.

Reference tables

Tablespoons to cups chart (US)
Tablespoons	Cups (decimal)	Measure with	mL	Fluid ounces
1	0.0625	1 tbsp	14.8	0.5
2	0.125	1/8 cup	29.6	1
3	0.1875	1/8 cup + 1 tbsp	44.4	1.5
4	0.25	1/4 cup	59.1	2
5	0.3125	1/4 cup + 1 tbsp	73.9	2.5
6	0.375	1/4 cup + 2 tbsp	88.7	3
7	0.4375	1/4 cup + 3 tbsp	103.5	3.5
8	0.5	1/2 cup	118.3	4
9	0.5625	1/2 cup + 1 tbsp	133.1	4.5
10	0.625	1/2 cup + 2 tbsp	147.9	5
11	0.6875	2/3 cup + 1 tsp	162.7	5.5
12	0.75	3/4 cup	177.4	6
13	0.8125	3/4 cup + 1 tbsp	192.2	6.5
14	0.875	3/4 cup + 2 tbsp	207.0	7
15	0.9375	3/4 cup + 3 tbsp	221.8	7.5
16	1	1 cup	236.6	8
20	1.25	1 1/4 cups	295.7	10
24	1.5	1 1/2 cups	354.9	12
32	2	2 cups	473.2	16

Common spoon amounts in grams (USDA)
Tablespoons	All-purpose flour	Granulated sugar	Butter	Vegetable oil
2 tbsp	15.6 g	25.0 g	28.4 g	27.3 g
4 tbsp	31.3 g	50.0 g	56.8 g	54.5 g
6 tbsp	46.9 g	75.0 g	85.1 g	81.8 g
8 tbsp	62.5 g	100 g	114 g	109 g
10 tbsp	78.1 g	125 g	142 g	136 g
12 tbsp	93.8 g	150 g	170 g	164 g

Copper measuring cups and measuring spoons laid on a sheet of white paper — Photo: Kara Eads / Unsplash

Tips

Count tablespoons into a liquid measuring cup only for liquids. For flour and sugar, use dry cups and level them.
Five tablespoons plus one teaspoon is exactly 1/3 cup. That's handy when your 1/3 cup is in the dishwasher.
A stick of butter is 8 tablespoons, or 1/2 cup. The tablespoon marks on the wrapper are the fastest way to cut it.

FAQ

How many tablespoons are in a cup?

16. That holds for any ingredient, because both are volume measures. Half a cup is 8 tablespoons and a quarter cup is 4.

Does 6 tablespoons equal 1/4 cup?

No. 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons. 6 tablespoons is 3/8 cup, which you can measure as 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp.

How many cups is 10 tablespoons?

0.625 cups, or 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. In grams that's about 78 g of all-purpose flour, 125 g of sugar or 142 g of butter.

How many tablespoons are in 1/3 cup?

5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. A third of a cup doesn't divide evenly into tablespoons.

How many tablespoons of butter make a cup?

16 tablespoons, which is 2 US sticks or 227 g.

Is a tablespoon the same as a fluid ounce?

No. A tablespoon is half a fluid ounce. 2 tablespoons make 1 fluid ounce, and 16 tablespoons make 8 fluid ounces, which is 1 cup.

Sources

NIST Handbook 44 Appendix C · accessed 2026-10-14
USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy · accessed 2026-10-14
King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart · accessed 2026-10-14

Sikander Malik

Founder, builds MeasuredCup's converters

Last updated October 15, 2026

Editorial policy

Values are averages for typical US products. Brands vary, so weigh with a kitchen scale when a recipe needs to be exact.