A US cup holds 16 tablespoons, so divide the tablespoons by 16 to get cups: 8 tbsp is 0.5 cup and 12 tbsp is 0.75 cup. With metric spoons (15 ml) and a 250 ml cup, a cup holds about 16.67 tablespoons; with Australian 20 ml spoons it holds 12.5.
Recipes scaled up from a single serving often end in awkward spoon counts, like 14 tablespoons of oil or 22 of sugar, and measuring those one spoon at a time invites miscounts. This converter turns a tablespoon count into cups for three measuring systems: US customary, metric (15 ml spoon, 250 ml cup) and Australian (20 ml spoon, 250 ml cup). Alongside the decimal cup value it shows the amount as whole cups plus leftover tablespoons, the volume in millilitres and the equivalent in teaspoons. It converts volume only: a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of honey weigh very different amounts, so for baking by weight use a scale instead.
Type the spoon count from the recipe; halves such as 6.5 are accepted.
Choose US for American recipes, Metric for UK, Canadian and New Zealand spoons, or Australian for 20 ml spoons.
The headline is the decimal cup value; the split shows whole cups plus leftover tablespoons for measuring.
Result Cups: 0.5
In cups and spoons: 0 cups + 8 tbsp
Millilitres: 118.3
Teaspoons: 24
Tablespoons in one cup: 16
Eight US tablespoons are half a cup, the amount in one US stick of butter.
Result Cups: 1.25
In cups and spoons: 1 cup + 4 tbsp
Millilitres: 295.7
Teaspoons: 60
Tablespoons in one cup: 16
One full cup uses 16 tablespoons, leaving 4 tablespoons, which is a quarter cup.
Result Cups: 0.72
In cups and spoons: 0 cups + 12 tbsp
Millilitres: 180
Teaspoons: 36
Tablespoons in one cup: 16.67
At 15 ml each, 12 tablespoons are 180 ml, or 0.72 of a 250 ml metric cup.
cups = tablespoons × tablespoon volume ÷ cup volume
tablespoon volumecup volumeIn US customary measure a cup is 8 fluid ounces and a tablespoon is half a fluid ounce, so exactly 16 tablespoons fill a cup and the ratio needs no rounding. Metric and Australian kitchens use a 250 ml cup, which holds 16.67 spoons of 15 ml or 12.5 spoons of 20 ml. The split into cups and spoons divides the leftover fraction of a cup back into tablespoons of the chosen system.
A US cup holds exactly 16 tablespoons. A 250 ml metric cup holds about 16.67 tablespoons of 15 ml, and with Australian 20 ml tablespoons it holds 12.5.
Four US tablespoons make a quarter cup, and 8 make a half cup. A third of a US cup is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, because 16 does not divide evenly by 3.
Australia standardised its tablespoon at 20 ml, equal to four 5 ml teaspoons, while most other metric countries use 15 ml, equal to three teaspoons. The cup is 250 ml in both, so the spoon count per cup differs.
Nearly. A US tablespoon is 14.79 ml and a metric tablespoon is 15 ml, a gap of about 1.4 percent. For most cooking the difference is too small to change the result, but the cups differ more: 236.6 ml against 250 ml.
Yes, as a volume. In the US one stick of butter is 8 tablespoons, which is half a cup. If the recipe gives butter in grams, weigh it instead of converting spoons.
Three US tablespoons are about 44.4 ml, three metric tablespoons are 45 ml, and three Australian tablespoons are 60 ml. The millilitre figure is shown beside the cup value.
Using this tool in an assignment, article or report? Copy a citation, or a link for your website.
Tools Directory Editorial Team. (2026, October 14). Tablespoons to Cups. Tools Directory. Retrieved October 27, 2026, from https://tools.milunir.com/cooking/recipe-scaling-and-conversions/tablespoons-to-cups/
Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Tablespoons to Cups.” Tools Directory, 14 Oct. 2026, https://tools.milunir.com/cooking/recipe-scaling-and-conversions/tablespoons-to-cups/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.
Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Tablespoons to Cups.” Tools Directory. Last modified October 14, 2026. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://tools.milunir.com/cooking/recipe-scaling-and-conversions/tablespoons-to-cups/.
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