Convert Tablespoon (US) (tbsp) to Tablespoon (UK) (tbsp (UK)) instantly.
About these units
Tablespoon (US) (tbsp)
The US tablespoon is defined as 14.7868 mL, though commonly rounded to 15 mL in nutritional labeling and informal cooking contexts. In American cooking, the tablespoon is indispensable for measuring oils, spices, and small liquid quantities. It is also widely used in medicine for dosing liquid medications at home, though modern practice increasingly recommends milliliters for clarity. Its relationship—3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon and 16 tablespoons = 1 cup—allows American cooks to scale recipes easily, making it a cornerstone unit of the US culinary measurement system.
Tablespoon (UK) (tbsp (UK))
The UK tablespoon traditionally equals 15 mL, though older definitions ranged from 17.7 to 25 mL depending on period and context. In modern British cooking, the tablespoon is standardized at 15 mL, aligning it with the metric tablespoon used in many countries. This measure remains essential in culinary arts for oils, spices, flavorings, and liquid ingredients, demonstrating how some units survive because of convenience and cultural familiarity, even in highly metricized societies.