Free Cooking Measurement Converter
Convert cooking measurements instantly — US and UK cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, gallons. Free, symmetrical.
Exact Conversion Formula & Multipliers
Kitchen volume units convert through fixed metric equivalents: 1 US cup = 236.5882365 mL, 1 US tablespoon = 14.78676478125 mL, and 1 US teaspoon = 4.92892159375 mL (3 teaspoons per tablespoon, 16 tablespoons per cup). Critically, the US cup, the UK/imperial cup, and the metric cup used in Australia and elsewhere are three different sizes — 236.6 mL, roughly 284 mL, and exactly 250 mL respectively — so this converter keeps them as separate, clearly labeled options (US cup, UK imperial cup, metric cup, plus the 15 mL metric tablespoon) rather than one generic 'cup'.
Practical Real-World Scenarios
- Following international recipes: a UK recipe's tablespoon and cup measurements differ meaningfully from US ones, which can throw off baking ratios if treated as identical.
- Scaling recipes: doubling or halving a recipe measured in cups and tablespoons is more error-prone than working in milliliters, since fractional cup measures (⅔, ¾) compound rounding errors.
- Professional and home baking: professional bakers weigh ingredients in grams for consistency, converting from volume-based home recipes to reduce variation caused by how ingredients are packed into a cup.
Historical & Technical Background
Volume-based cooking measurement using cups and spoons became standardized in the US in the late 19th century, largely credited to home economist Fannie Farmer's insistence on precise, level measurements in her influential 1896 cookbook — a major shift from the vague 'a pinch of this, a handful of that' instructions common before. Most of the rest of the world, having adopted the metric system more broadly, measures cooking ingredients by weight (grams) rather than volume, which is inherently more precise since ingredient density varies with how tightly it's packed.
Precision & Accuracy Statement
Conversion factors use the exact defined values given in NIST Special Publication 811 and the BIPM SI Brochure wherever such a definition exists (for example 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg, 1 in = 2.54 cm, 1 US gal = 3.785411784 L, g₀ = 9.80665 m/s²); derived factors are computed from those definitions rather than copied as rounded figures. Results are calculated in double-precision floating point and shown to 10 significant digits, so the last digit can differ by one unit of rounding. The rounded figures in the text and tables above are for reading convenience. The metric cup (250 mL) and metric tablespoon (15 mL) are conventions used in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and modern UK recipes; the “UK cup” is the older imperial cup (½ imperial pint = 284.130625 mL).
How This Converter Works
Cooking recipes use different volume measurements across US, UK, and metric systems. US and UK tablespoons and cups are different sizes. Our converter handles 20 cooking volume units simultaneously, including the 250 mL metric cup and 15 mL metric tablespoon.
Common Conversions
| US measure | Milliliters | US Tablespoons | US Fluid Oz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 4.93 mL | 0.333 tbsp | 0.167 fl oz |
| 1 tbsp | 14.79 mL | 3 tsp | 0.5 fl oz |
| ¼ cup | 59.15 mL | 4 tbsp | 2 fl oz |
| ½ cup | 118.3 mL | 8 tbsp | 4 fl oz |
| 1 cup | 236.6 mL | 16 tbsp | 8 fl oz |
| 1 pint | 473.2 mL | 32 tbsp | 16 fl oz |