unitwiz.net

Cooking Converter

Convert between cups, dl, ml, tablespoons and teaspoons.

Convert from:

Unit	Amount
Cups	— cup
Decilitres	— dl
Millilitres	— ml
Tablespoons	— tbsp
Teaspoons	— tsp
Fluid ounces	— fl oz

Cooking measurements divide the world in two: American recipes lean on cups and spoons, while European and most other recipes use millilitres, decilitres, or grams. A US cup is 236.6 ml — not 250 ml — and that 13 ml gap compounds quickly when scaling a recipe up.

Quick reference

Common cooking amounts converted to ml, dl, fluid ounces, and centilitres.

Measure	ml	dl	fl oz	cl
1 cup	236.6	2.37	8.0	23.7
½ cup	118.3	1.18	4.0	11.8
¼ cup	59.1	0.59	2.0	5.9
1 tbsp	14.8	0.15	0.5	1.5
1 tsp	4.9	0.05	0.17	0.49

When do you need this?

• Following a US recipe when you only have a metric measuring jug
• Scaling a Scandinavian recipe (dl-based) for a US kitchen
• Converting a British recipe that uses fluid ounces into millilitres
• Checking that a tablespoon measurement matches a pharmacy syringe (they often don't)
• Doubling or halving a recipe and needing the new amounts in a different unit
• Baking from an old recipe that mixes cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons without explanation

Understanding the units

Cup

The US cup is 236.588 ml — exactly 8 US fluid ounces. It's the default volume unit in American and Canadian cooking. Most cookbook apps and recipe sites from North America use this definition. The metric (Australian) cup is 250 ml; the difference matters when precision counts.

Decilitre (dl)

One decilitre is exactly 100 ml — one tenth of a litre. It's the standard volume unit in Scandinavian recipes and common throughout northern Europe. Measuring jugs sold in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway are almost always marked in dl. 1 cup ≈ 2.4 dl.

Millilitre (ml)

The millilitre is the base unit for liquid volume in most of the world. It's used in scientific contexts, pharmaceutical dosing, and recipes that prioritise precision. One ml of water weighs almost exactly one gram, which is why ml and grams are often interchangeable for water-based liquids.

Tablespoon (tbsp)

A US tablespoon is 14.79 ml (approximately 15 ml). It equals 3 teaspoons. The Australian tablespoon is 20 ml — a common source of confusion when baking from Australian recipe sites.

Teaspoon (tsp)

A US teaspoon is 4.93 ml, usually rounded to 5 ml in practice. It's the smallest standard cooking unit. For salt, spices, and baking powder, the difference between a level and a heaped teaspoon is meaningful — always level unless stated otherwise.

Fluid ounce (fl oz)

A US fluid ounce is 29.57 ml. There are 8 fl oz in a US cup. Note that the UK fluid ounce is slightly larger (28.41 ml), so British recipes using fl oz will give slightly different results if converted using US values.

Common mistakes

• Treating a metric cup as a US cup. 250 ml ≠ 236.6 ml. For one cup it's a 13 ml error; for 4 cups it's over 50 ml off.
• Using an Australian tablespoon (20 ml) when a US tablespoon (15 ml) is required. For spices this barely matters; for baking powder it can ruin a rise.
• Measuring dry ingredients by volume when the recipe means weight. A cup of flour can be anywhere from 120 g to 160 g depending on packing. Use grams for baking when possible.
• Confusing dl and cl. 1 dl = 10 cl. Recipes printed in older European cookbooks sometimes use centilitres, which are not marked on most modern measuring jugs.
• Assuming US and UK fluid ounces are the same. They're close but not identical. A UK fl oz is 28.41 ml vs the US 29.57 ml — a 4% difference that compounds over larger volumes.

Which should you use?

Baking (cakes, bread, pastry): Use grams and ml whenever you can. Volume measurements for flour, sugar, and butter are imprecise enough to cause real problems at scale.

Cooking liquids (soups, sauces, drinks): Cups, dl, or ml all work fine. The small differences between systems won't noticeably affect the outcome.

Spices and leavening agents: Stick to the unit the recipe specifies. 1 tsp of baking powder is a precise amount — don't eyeball it with a tablespoon.

Recipes from Scandinavia: Expect dl as the primary unit. A standard Nordic measuring set has 1 dl, 0.5 dl, and 0.25 dl cups — roughly ½ cup, ¼ cup, and ⅛ cup in US terms.

---

Related tools

• Weight converter — convert grams, kilograms, ounces, and pounds
• Temperature converter — Celsius to Fahrenheit for oven temperatures
• Length converter — inches, cm, and metres

unitwiz.net Privacy · About · TV size calculator · Length converter · Percentage calculator · Word count · Contact · Terms