How Many ml in a Tablespoon UK? 15 ml and Chart

Quick answer: A UK tablespoon is 15 ml, which equals three 5 ml teaspoons. That is the size of the tablespoon in a standard British measuring set, filled level. A US tablespoon is almost identical at 14.79 ml, but Australian recipes use a larger 20 ml tablespoon, so check where a recipe comes from before measuring.

Tablespoons appear in almost every British recipe, from oil for frying to cornflour for thickening a sauce. Getting the size right matters most in baking and in strongly flavoured ingredients such as salt, soy sauce or vinegar. More household volume guides are collected in our volume and capacity conversions hub.

Table of Contents

How many ml is a UK tablespoon?

One UK tablespoon is 15 ml. It is written “tbsp” (sometimes “T” or “tbs”) and is exactly three times the 5 ml teaspoon and one and a half times the 10 ml dessertspoon. Our short guide to how many ml are in a UK teaspoon covers the smaller spoon sizes.

Tablespoons	Millilitres	UK fl oz (approx.)
1 tbsp	15 ml	0.53
2 tbsp	30 ml	1.06
3 tbsp	45 ml	1.58
4 tbsp	60 ml	2.11
5 tbsp	75 ml	2.64
6 tbsp	90 ml	3.17
8 tbsp	120 ml	4.22
10 tbsp	150 ml	5.28

Working the other way, divide millilitres by 15. So 50 ml is 3⅓ tablespoons, 75 ml is exactly 5 and 100 ml is 6⅔.

Are tablespoons the same size in every country?

No: the UK and US tablespoons are practically the same, but the Australian one is a third larger. A US customary tablespoon is half a US fluid ounce, or 14.79 ml, and American nutrition labels round it to 15 ml. Australia uses a 20 ml tablespoon, equal to four teaspoons, so following an Australian recipe with a British spoon gives you only three-quarters of the intended amount.

The UK and US tablespoons differ by about 0.2 ml; the Australian tablespoon holds 5 ml more.

One useful American link: 16 US tablespoons make one US cup of about 237 ml, and a US stick of butter (113 g) is marked in 8 tablespoons. If American spoon and cup measures are confusing you, our explainer on UK and US fluid ounces sets out how the two systems differ.

How can you measure a tablespoon without a measuring spoon?

Use three teaspoons. Three level 5 ml measuring teaspoons make exactly one tablespoon.
Weigh water-like liquids. For water, milk or stock, 15 g on digital kitchen scales is very close to 15 ml.
Use an oral or kitchen syringe. A syringe marked in millilitres is accurate for small volumes of liquid.
Avoid serving spoons. Cutlery labelled “tablespoon” is a serving size, not a measure, and can be far larger than 15 ml.

Measuring jugs are rarely accurate below about 50 ml, so they are a poor choice for a single spoonful. For larger dry quantities, see how to measure pasta without scales, or convert recipe units with the cooking converter.

What is the difference between a level and a heaped tablespoon?

A level tablespoon is 15 ml; a heaped one has no fixed volume. When a recipe just says “1 tbsp”, it means level: fill the spoon, then sweep a knife across the top. “Rounded” means a gentle dome above the rim and “heaped” means as much as the spoon will carry, both of which vary with the ingredient and the cook. If a recipe works best with exact amounts, weigh dry ingredients in grams instead.

Frequently asked questions

Is a tablespoon 15 ml or 20 ml?

In the UK and US a tablespoon is 15 ml (14.79 ml in the US). In Australia it is 20 ml.

How many tablespoons are in 100 ml?

There are 6⅔ UK tablespoons in 100 ml. Six tablespoons is 90 ml and seven is 105 ml.

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?

There are 3 teaspoons in a UK tablespoon, because 3 × 5 ml = 15 ml. An Australian tablespoon holds 4 teaspoons.

Is 2 tablespoons 30 ml?

Yes. Two level UK tablespoons are 30 ml, which is just over one UK fluid ounce.

Sources

21 CFR 101.9, US Code of Federal Regulations (tablespoon and cup for nutrition labelling)
NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9 (US fluid ounce and cup)
Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1 (millilitre and imperial capacity units), legislation.gov.uk