The short answer is that it depends on the ingredient — and this page gives you the exact numbers. One tablespoon of all-purpose flour weighs 7.5 g, one tablespoon of granulated sugar weighs 12.4 g, and one tablespoon of butter weighs 14.2 g. The reason there is no single answer is density: a cup is a volume, and different ingredients pack different weights into that volume. All the figures below come from the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart and USDA FoodData Central, and every density-based result here is approximate — verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.

1 Tablespoon in Grams by ingredient

All figures below are approximate. Densities come from King Arthur Baking and USDA FoodData Central; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.

Ingredient 1 tbsp weighs 2 tbsp weigh
All-purpose flour 7.5 g 15 g
Granulated sugar 12.38 g 24.75 g
Brown sugar (packed) 13.31 g 26.62 g
Powdered sugar 7.062 g 14.12 g
Butter 14.19 g 28.38 g
Honey 21 g 42 g
Milk 15.25 g 30.5 g
Water 14.81 g 29.62 g
Heavy cream 14.88 g 29.75 g
Olive oil 13.5 g 27 g
Vegetable oil 13.62 g 27.25 g
Rolled oats 5.562 g 11.12 g
Cocoa powder 5.25 g 10.5 g
Table salt 18 g 36 g
Yogurt 15.31 g 30.62 g

Method and sources

The method behind every figure on this page is the same: weigh one US cup (236.6 ml) of the ingredient, prepared as stated, and record the weight. King Arthur Baking publishes its ingredient weight chart using the spoon-and-level method for dry goods — spoon the ingredient into the cup, level it off with a straight edge, never scoop with the cup itself, because scooping packs the flour and can add 20 g or more. Brown sugar is the exception: it is packed firmly into the cup. Liquids are poured to the line at eye level. The figures in the table use the King Arthur value where one exists and the USDA FoodData Central value otherwise, and the source is noted in the table. Every result is approximate, because packing, humidity, temperature and crystal size all move the weight by a few grams. When the result has to be exact — bread, macarons, anything with yeast — weigh the ingredient on a scale instead of converting at all.

Why this conversion comes up

This conversion is the one that causes the most baking failures, because it looks like a unit conversion and behaves like an ingredient question. A cup of flour and a cup of sugar are the same volume and very different weights, so any page that gives you a single number for this conversion is wrong. The table below is the honest version: one row per ingredient, each with its own figure from King Arthur Baking or USDA, so you can convert the ingredient you actually have.

Worked examples

A cake that lists everything in grams

A cake recipe calls for 4 tablespoon of Butter, and your cups are the only measure to hand. 4 tablespoon of Butter is about 56.75 g grams. But notice the word 'about': the figure assumes the standard method, so spoon the ingredient into the cup and level it off rather than scooping. For a cake, that 10 g difference between scooping and spooning is the difference between a tender crumb and a dry one.

Bread dough, converted to cups

A bread recipe calls for 2 tablespoon of Powdered sugar, and you have no scale. 2 tablespoon of Powdered sugar is about 14.12 g grams. Bread is the least forgiving place to convert by volume: flour compacts so easily that two cups measured two ways can differ by 30 g. If you bake bread more than once a month, a scale is the single best purchase you can make.

A pancake batter on a slow morning

A pancake recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of All-purpose flour. That is about 7.5 g grams. Pancakes are forgiving — a slightly thick or thin batter still makes a pancake — so this is a safe place to use the table instead of a scale. Whisk the dry ingredients before adding the wet ones, and let the batter rest for five minutes so the flour hydrates.

Practical guidance

Measuring without the right tool is the third use, and the most common in a real kitchen. No measuring jug? A tablespoon is 14.79 ml and a teaspoon is 4.93 ml, so any volume can be built from spoons. No scale? A cup of water weighs 237 g, so a kitchen jug marked in millilitres doubles as a rough scale for water-based liquids. These are workarounds, not replacements, but they get dinner cooked when the proper tool is in the dishwasher.

Common mistakes to avoid

  1. Forgetting that salt is not salt. Forgetting that salt is not salt. Fine table salt is 288 g per cup; Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about 128 g per cup and Morton kosher about 256 g. Swapping them cup-for-cup can double or halve the salt in a dish.
  2. Scooping flour with the cup instead of spooning and levelling. Scooping flour with the cup instead of spooning and levelling. Scooping compacts the flour and can add 20 g or more per cup — the single most common reason a cake comes out dry. Spoon the flour in, level it off, and never tap the cup down.
  3. Packing brown sugar when the recipe means loose, or leaving it loose when the recipe means packed. Packing brown sugar when the recipe means loose, or leaving it loose when the recipe means packed. Packed brown sugar is 213 g per cup; loosely spooned it is about 170 g. That 43 g gap changes a cookie completely, so pack it firmly unless the recipe says otherwise.
  4. Measuring honey or syrup in a dry cup. Measuring honey or syrup in a dry cup. Sticky liquids cling to the cup and you lose a tablespoon to the sides. Use a liquid jug, or lightly oil the cup first so the honey slides out.

Frequently asked questions

Why does tablespoon to grams depend on the ingredient?

Because a tablespoon measures volume and a grams measures weight, and different ingredients pack different weights into the same volume. A cup of flour weighs 120 g, a cup of sugar 198 g, a cup of honey 336 g and a cup of butter 227 g. There is no single conversion factor — you need the ingredient's density, which is what the table on this page gives.

How accurate are these conversions?

They are approximate, and honest about it. The figures assume the standard method — dry ingredients spooned and levelled, brown sugar packed, liquids poured — and packing, humidity and temperature can move the weight by a few grams either way. For everyday cooking that is fine. For bread, macarons and anything with yeast, weigh the ingredient on a scale instead of converting.

Why is flour listed at 120 g per cup when other sources say 125 g or 130 g?

Because the figure depends on the method. King Arthur Baking lists 120 g per cup spooned and levelled; other sources quote 125 g or 130 g, and a scooped cup can reach 142 g. The difference is not a mistake in any source — it is the difference between spooning flour into the cup and scooping the cup through the bag. Spoon and level, and 120 g is the right figure.

Is granulated sugar 198 g or 200 g per cup?

Both, depending on rounding. King Arthur Baking lists 198 g per cup; USDA FoodData Central rounds to 200 g. The 2 g difference is rounding, not a real disagreement, and it makes no difference in any recipe. Use 198 g if you want the more precise figure.

Can I use these conversions for any ingredient?

Only for the ingredients in the table. Every density is measured individually, so an ingredient that is not listed has no figure here — and this guide does not guess one. If your ingredient is not in the table, weigh it on a scale, or convert it by volume (cups to millilitres) instead, which needs no density at all.

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