Kitchen conversions · US measures
How many tablespoons (tbsp) are in 1/3 cup?
1/3 US cup = 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.
That is exactly 5 1/3 tablespoons, or 16 teaspoons. It works for butter, oil and other ingredients when you measure by volume.
Updated October 28, 2026 · USDA SR Legacy ingredient data · Sources and method
US customary measures
Cups, tablespoons, teaspoons & mL
Enter a decimal or fraction, such as 1/3 or 1 1/2. Amounts from 0 to 1,000,000.
Measure: 5 tbsp + 1 tsp
- US cups
- 0.333333
- US tablespoons
- 5.333333
- US teaspoons
- 16
- Milliliters (mL)
- 78.862745
Decimal results are rounded to six places. Use the spoon combination above when shown.
US cup to tablespoon conversion chart
Use level measuring spoons. One US cup holds 16 tablespoons; each tablespoon holds 3 teaspoons.
| US cup | US tbsp + tsp | mL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 4 tbsp | 59.15 |
| 1/3 | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp | 78.86 |
| 1/2 | 8 tbsp | 118.29 |
| 2/3 | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp | 157.73 |
| 3/4 | 12 tbsp | 177.44 |
| 1 | 16 tbsp | 236.59 |
Ingredient weights and calories
A tablespoon of flour weighs less than a tablespoon of honey. Choose the ingredient before converting volume to grams or calories.
| Ingredient | 1 US tbspg · kcal | 1/3 US cupg · kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter (salted)FDC 173410 | 14.2 g102 kcal | 75.7 g543 kcal |
| Vegetable oil (soybean)FDC 171411 | 13.6 g120 kcal | 72.7 g642 kcal |
| White sugarFDC 169655 | 12.5 g48 kcal | 66.7 g258 kcal |
| All-purpose flourFDC 169761 | 7.8 g28 kcal | 41.7 g152 kcal |
| Peanut butter (smooth, unsalted)FDC 172470 | 16 g96 kcal | 86 g514 kcal |
| HoneyFDC 169640 | 21 g64 kcal | 113 g344 kcal |
Grams are rounded to one decimal; kcal to the nearest whole number, calculated from unrounded weights. USDA records cups and spoon portions separately, so their rounded gram weights may not scale exactly. For sugar and flour, which lack a tablespoon record, we use the USDA cup weight divided by 16. One third cup always uses the recorded cup weight divided by 3. Vegetable oil here means soybean oil; peanut butter is smooth and unsalted.
US and metric measures are different
This tool uses the US customary cup: 236.5882365 mL, tablespoon: 14.78676478125 mL and teaspoon: 4.92892159375 mL. A US nutrition-label cup is 240 mL; that rounded label measure is different too.
A metric cup is 250 mL. A metric tablespoon commonly holds 15 mL, while an Australian tablespoon holds 20 mL. A third of a metric cup is about 83.33 mL, compared with 78.86 mL for a third US customary cup. Check your recipe and measuring utensils before switching systems.
Common conversion questions
How many tablespoons is 1/3 cup?
1/3 US cup is exactly 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, or 5 1/3 US tablespoons. Use level measuring spoons.
How many tablespoons is 1/3 cup of butter?
1/3 US cup of butter is 5 tbsp + 1 tsp (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon), about 75.7 g and 543 kcal (USDA salted butter). The volume conversion is the same for other ingredients; gram weights and calories depend on the ingredient.
How many tbsp of butter are in 1/3 cup?
1/3 US cup of butter is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, the same volume conversion as other ingredients. USDA salted butter has a recorded cup weight of 227 g, so 1/3 cup is about 75.7 g and 543 kcal. Use a scale when precision matters.
How many tbsp are in a 1/3 cup?
There are exactly 5 1/3 US tablespoons in 1/3 US cup. Measure 5 level tablespoons plus 1 level teaspoon; rounding to just 5 tablespoons leaves out a teaspoon.
How many tablespoons are in one cup?
One US customary cup contains 16 US tablespoons, or 48 US teaspoons. This calculator uses the US customary cup of 236.5882365 mL.
How many tsp make a tbsp?
3 US teaspoons make 1 US tablespoon. A US tablespoon is about 14.7868 mL, and a US teaspoon is about 4.9289 mL.
How many tablespoons is 1/2 cup?
1/2 US cup is exactly 8 US tablespoons, or 24 US teaspoons.
How much is 4 tablespoons in cups?
4 US tablespoons is exactly 1/4 US cup, or 12 US teaspoons.
Is a metric cup the same as a US cup?
No. A metric cup is 250 mL, while a US customary cup is 236.5882365 mL. A metric tablespoon is commonly 15 mL (20 mL in Australia), while a US tablespoon is about 14.7868 mL. Use one measurement system throughout your recipe.
Sources and method
Ingredient values use USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy (April 2018 dataset). Each ingredient links to its FDC record above. Energy is nutrient 1008 (208), kcal per 100 g. Calories = portion grams × kcal per 100 g ÷ 100. These are food estimates; packing, brands and preparation change actual weights.
USDA portion records used for each ingredient
- Butter (salted): “Butter, salted”, FDC 173410; cup portion 92458: 227 g per 1 cup; tbsp portion 92457: 14.2 g per 1 tbsp; 717 kcal/100 g.
- Vegetable oil (soybean): “Oil, soybean, salad or cooking”, FDC 171411; cup portion 88662: 218 g per 1 cup; tbsp portion 88661: 13.6 g per 1 tbsp; 884 kcal/100 g.
- White sugar: “Sugars, granulated”, FDC 169655; cup portion 85288: 200 g per 1 cup; tbsp derived as cup ÷ 16; 387 kcal/100 g.
- All-purpose flour: “Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, unenriched”, FDC 169761; cup portion 85466: 125 g per 1 cup; tbsp derived as cup ÷ 16; 364 kcal/100 g.
- Peanut butter (smooth, unsalted): “Peanut butter, smooth style, without salt”, FDC 172470; cup portion 90674: 258 g per 1 cup; tbsp portion 90673: 32 g per 2 tbsp; 598 kcal/100 g.
- Honey: “Honey”, FDC 169640; cup portion 85264: 339 g per 1 cup; tbsp portion 85265: 21 g per 1 tbsp; 304 kcal/100 g.
Volume references: NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8 (US cup, tablespoon and teaspoon); 21 CFR 101.9 (US nutrition-label measures); NSW Health: Eat Smart, Play Smart (250 mL cup and 20 mL tablespoon). For the 250 mL metric cup and 15 mL tablespoon, see the Canadian Nutrient File users guide.
More portions to compare
See serving-size nutrition for butter, peanut butter, sugar and almond butter, or browse all KaloCam tools.