How many tablespoons are in a US cup?

There are exactly 16 US tablespoons in 1 US customary cup. So 8 tablespoons = ½ cup, 4 tablespoons = ¼ cup, and so on.

Is a metric cup the same as a US cup?

No. A metric cup is 250 mL, while a US cup is about 236.6 mL. Because a metric tablespoon is 15 mL, a metric cup equals roughly 16.667 tablespoons.

What is an Imperial cup?

An Imperial cup (used historically in the UK and Canada) is 284.1 mL — larger than both US and metric cups. It equals 16 Imperial tablespoons (each 17.76 mL).

Why does the fraction sometimes say "approx."?

When the decimal result does not land exactly on a standard fraction (½, ⅓, ¼, ⅛, etc.), the converter picks the nearest common fraction and marks it approximate.

Can I convert fractions like 1.5 tablespoons?

Yes. Type any decimal number — e.g. 1.5, 0.25, or 24.75 — and the converter handles it correctly.

Tablespoons to Cups Converter

Enter a number of tablespoons and instantly see the equivalent in cups for US, metric, and Imperial systems.

Enter Tablespoons

Tablespoons (tbsp)

Cup system

US customary (1 cup = 16 tbsp) Metric (1 cup = 250 mL ≈ 16.667 tbsp) Imperial (1 cup = 16 tbsp, 284 mL)

Result

Enter a value to see the conversion.

US Tablespoons to Cups — Quick Reference

1 tbsp 1/16 cup

2 tbsp 1/8 cup

4 tbsp 1/4 cup

5 tbsp + 1 tsp 1/3 cup

8 tbsp 1/2 cup

10 tbsp + 2 tsp 2/3 cup

12 tbsp 3/4 cup

16 tbsp 1 cup

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Summary

This converter turns any number of tablespoons into the equivalent cup value for the three most common measurement systems — US customary, metric, and Imperial. It shows both a decimal result and the nearest clean fraction so you can read it straight off a measuring cup.

How it works

Enter the number of tablespoons in the input field.
Choose a cup system: US (16 tbsp/cup), metric (250 mL cup ≈ 16.667 tbsp), or Imperial (16 tbsp/cup).
The result updates instantly showing decimal cups and the nearest common fraction.
Use the Copy button to copy the result to your clipboard.
Switch systems at any time — the input value stays and all results recalculate.

Use cases

Scale a recipe that calls for cups when you only have a tablespoon measure.
Convert a bulk ingredient quantity from tablespoons into cups for a shopping list.
Check how many cups are in an unusual tablespoon count without doing mental math.
Quickly verify a metric recipe when cooking with US measuring cups.
Help children learn cooking fractions in a hands-on, real context.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-13 · Reviewed by Nham Vu