What Is Tablespoon (Uk)?
A UK tablespoon is a unit used to measure volume. It is most common in cooking and baking. In modern UK recipes, one tablespoon is fixed as 15 millilitres.
People use a tablespoon to measure things like oil, milk, sugar, or spices when they do not need a whole cup.
Definition
In the United Kingdom, the standard tablespoon is defined as:
- 1 UK tablespoon = 15 millilitres (mL)
- This is the same as 3 level teaspoons of 5 mL each
It is a unit for volume, not for weight. That means it tells you how much space something fills, not how heavy it is. For example, a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of oil both have 15 mL of volume, even though their weights are different.
History / Origin
The word tablespoon came from the everyday spoon people used at the dinner table. Long ago, before strict measuring tools were common, cooks used real spoons from the table as rough measures.
Over time, this became confusing because spoons were not all the same size. To fix this, countries began setting clear sizes for kitchen spoons.
In older British and imperial use, a tablespoon was often taken as about half an imperial fluid ounce, a bit over 14 millilitres. With metric rules in the 20th century, the UK moved to a simple rounded value of 15 mL for a standard tablespoon in recipes and on measuring spoons.
Symbol & Abbreviation
There is no single world official symbol, but the most common short forms for the UK tablespoon are:
- tbsp
- tbspn
- tbs or T in some recipe books
In modern UK cookbooks and on measuring spoons, tbsp is the safest and clearest abbreviation.
Current Use Around the World
The UK tablespoon is used mainly in the United Kingdom and in some recipes from countries that follow UK style cooking.
Today:
- In the United Kingdom, a tablespoon in recipes and on kitchen tools usually means 15 mL.
- In many European and international recipes written in English, tablespoon is also taken as 15 mL.
- In the United States, a tablespoon is very close but defined using US units, about 14.8 mL.
- In Australia, a tablespoon is often larger, usually 20 mL.
Because different countries use slightly different tablespoon sizes, professional recipes often give millilitres as well, to avoid confusion.
Example Conversions
Here are some useful conversion facts for the UK tablespoon:
- 1 UK tablespoon = 15 mL
- 1 UK tablespoon = 0.015 litres (L)
- 1 UK tablespoon ≈ 0.53 UK imperial fluid ounces
- 1 UK tablespoon ≈ 1.01 US tablespoons (almost the same)
- 1 UK tablespoon = 3 UK teaspoons of 5 mL each
Some quick everyday examples:
- If a recipe needs 2 UK tablespoons of oil: that is 30 mL.
- 4 UK tablespoons of milk is 60 mL, which is the same as 0.06 L.
- If a drink recipe says 45 mL of syrup, that is 3 UK tablespoons.
Related Units
The UK tablespoon is closely linked to other volume units used in kitchens and in science.
- Teaspoon (tsp) In the UK, 1 teaspoon is 5 mL. So 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.
- Dessertspoon Less common today. Often taken as about 10 mL, so 1 and a half dessertspoons is about 1 tablespoon.
- Cup A kitchen cup in many UK recipes is 240 to 250 mL. So 1 cup is about 16 UK tablespoons (if 240 mL, then 240 ÷ 15 = 16).
- Millilitre (mL) The standard metric unit for small volumes. A UK tablespoon is exactly 15 mL.
- Litre (L) A larger metric unit. There are 1000 mL in 1 L, so there are about 66.7 UK tablespoons in 1 litre.
- Fluid ounce (fl oz) A volume unit used in both US and UK systems. 1 UK tablespoon is a little over half a UK fluid ounce.
FAQs
Is a UK tablespoon the same as a US tablespoon?
They are very close but not exactly the same. A UK tablespoon is 15 mL. A US tablespoon is about 14.8 mL. For normal home cooking, this difference is usually too small to matter.
How many teaspoons are in one UK tablespoon?
In the UK system, there are exactly 3 teaspoons of 5 mL each in one tablespoon. So 1 tbsp = 3 tsp.
How many millilitres are in a UK tablespoon?
There are 15 millilitres in one standard UK tablespoon.
Is a UK tablespoon bigger than an Australian tablespoon?
No. In many Australian recipes, a tablespoon is 20 mL, which is larger than the 15 mL UK tablespoon.
Can I use any eating spoon as a tablespoon?
It is better not to. Ordinary spoons can be different sizes. For correct results, use a proper measuring spoon marked as 15 mL or as 1 tbsp.
Why do some old UK recipes seem confusing about tablespoon size?
Older British recipes sometimes used an imperial tablespoon close to half an imperial fluid ounce, a bit over 14 mL. Modern UK recipes almost always mean a metric tablespoon of 15 mL. When a recipe is very old, you may need to check notes or use millilitre values if given.
How many UK tablespoons are in 100 mL?
To find this, divide 100 by 15. So 100 mL is about 6 and 2 thirds UK tablespoons. In a simple kitchen use, you might use 6 and a half or 7 tablespoons, depending on how exact you need to be.
Is a UK tablespoon used in science labs?
Not usually. In science, people prefer clear metric units like millilitres and litres, measured with cylinders or pipettes. The tablespoon is mostly for cooking and home use.