mL to tbsp Converter
Convert milliliters to tablespoons — US customary (14.79 mL), metric/UK (15 mL), or Australian (20 mL). You also get teaspoons and US cups so you can use whichever measure is on hand.
Example: with Milliliters (mL) 30 · Tablespoon standard US customary (14.79 mL) → Tablespoons: 2.03 tbsp.
- Teaspoons6.09 tsp
- US cups0.13 US cups (about ⅛ cup)
Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.
tbsp = mL ÷ 14.7868 (US). 30 mL is 2 US tablespoons — exactly 1 fluid ounce; 15 mL is the metric tablespoon printed on nutrition labels.
Why 30 mL keeps showing up
Thirty milliliters is the workhorse volume: 2 US tablespoons, 1 fluid ounce, the standard medicine cup, and the classic shot. Because the US tablespoon (14.7868 mL) sits within 1.4% of the metric 15 mL, cooks can round freely — 2 tablespoons per 30 mL never ruins a dish.
The trap is regional. Australian tablespoons are 20 mL — four 5-mL teaspoons — so an Australian recipe converted with a US spoon comes out 25% short on every tablespoon. Modern UK recipes use the 15 mL metric spoon; only older imperial cookbooks mean the 17.8 mL spoon.
How it’s calculated
Tablespoons = mL ÷ 14.7868 (US customary), ÷ 15 (metric/UK), or ÷ 20 (Australian). Teaspoons use 4.92892 mL (US) or 5 mL (metric/Australian); US cups = mL ÷ 236.588. NIST conversion factors throughout.
Assumes level spoons; thick liquids like honey or yogurt mound above the rim and can carry 20% or more extra.
Milliliters to US tablespoons
| Milliliters | US tablespoons | Also equals |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mL | 1.01 tbsp | 3 tsp |
| 30 mL | 2.03 tbsp | 1 fl oz / medicine cup |
| 45 mL | 3.04 tbsp | a jigger and a half |
| 60 mL | 4.06 tbsp | ¼ cup |
| 120 mL | 8.12 tbsp | ½ cup |
| 240 mL | 16.23 tbsp | about 1 cup |
Computed with 1 US tbsp = 14.7868 mL and 1 cup = 236.588 mL (NIST); rounded to two decimals.
Common mistakes
- Converting an Australian recipe with US spoons — each 20 mL tablespoon measured as 14.79 mL leaves you 25% short.
- Measuring thick sauces heaped, then converting the level-spoon number.
- Mixing systems mid-recipe: a US tablespoon is 3 US teaspoons, but an Australian tablespoon is 4 metric teaspoons.
- Assuming 2 tablespoons is always ⅛ cup — true for US spoons (29.6 mL), but 2 Australian tablespoons is 40 mL, more like ⅙ cup.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons is 30 mL?
2.03 US tablespoons — effectively 2 tablespoons, which is also exactly 1 US fluid ounce. On the metric standard it is exactly 2 tablespoons.
What is the mL to tbsp formula?
Tablespoons = mL ÷ 14.7868 for US spoons, ÷ 15 for metric, or ÷ 20 for Australian. So 45 mL is 3.04 US tbsp or exactly 3 metric tbsp.
Is 15 mL one tablespoon?
On the metric standard, exactly. A US tablespoon is 14.7868 mL — close enough that US nutrition labels legally round it to 15 mL.
How many mL in half a cup?
118.29 mL — which is 8 US tablespoons. A full US cup is 236.588 mL, or 16 tablespoons.