How Big Is a Tablespoon? US, UK, Canadian, Australian, Metric and Japanese Measures
Master comparison
There are 4 US tablespoons in 1/4 cup.
Here is the complete US cup-to-tablespoon conversion chart:
Quick 1/4-cup conversions
1/4 US cup equals:
- 4 tablespoons
- 12 teaspoons
- 2 US fluid ounces
- Approximately 59 millilitres
Does every country use the same tablespoon?
No. These conversions use US customary measurements.
A standard US tablespoon is approximately 14.8 millilitres. Metric tablespoons are normally 15 millilitres, while an Australian tablespoon is 20 millilitres. Check which measurement system your recipe uses before converting.
US customary tablespoon
One US customary tablespoon is approximately 14.79 mL, three teaspoons, half a US fluid ounce or 1/16 US cup. Therefore, 1/4 US cup equals exactly four US tablespoons. NIST conversion table
US food-label tablespoon
US nutrition labels round one tablespoon to 15 mL and one cup to 240 mL. Therefore, one-quarter label cup equals four tablespoons. US federal regulation
Canadian tablespoon
Canada uses a 15 mL tablespoon. Health Canada’s practical chart treats 1/4 cup as approximately 60 mL or four tablespoons, although one-quarter of an exact 250 mL metric cup is 62.5 mL. Health Canada
Australian tablespoon
Australia’s tablespoon is the major exception: 20 mL or four teaspoons. A 250 mL cup therefore contains 12½ Australian tablespoons. Australian Department of Health
UK, New Zealand and Japanese tablespoons
Modern UK and New Zealand recipes generally use 15 mL tablespoons. Japan also uses a 15 mL tablespoon but commonly uses a smaller 200 mL cooking cup. Japan’s agriculture ministry confirms the 200 mL cup in its recipes. Japanese Ministry of Agriculture
A final note should warn that historical British and Canadian spoon measures varied and should not be applied to modern recipes without checking the cookbook’s measurement system.
Is 1/4 cup always the same weight? US measures
No. Cups measure volume; grams measure weight. One-quarter cup of flour, sugar, butter and water will have different weights.
The easiest rule to remember: 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons.
Note: Historical British and Canadian spoon measures varied and should not be applied to modern recipes without checking the cookbook’s measurement system.
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