Australian (Metric) Tablespoon vs. US Tablespoon to Milliliters (ml) Comparison

This chart clarifies the difference between the Australian standard (metric) tablespoon (20ml) and the US customary tablespoon (approx. 14.79ml), showing their volumes. Critical for Australian and US recipe exchanges.

Tablespoon Type	Milliliters (ml)	Standard Teaspoons
1 Australian (Metric) Tablespoon	20 ml	4 Australian (metric) teaspoons (each 5ml)
1 US Customary Tablespoon	14.79 ml (approx.)	3 US teaspoons (each approx. 4.93ml)
Difference (AU - US)	5.21 ml (approx.)	An Australian tbsp is about 35% larger.

1/2 Australian (Metric) Tablespoon	10 ml	2 Australian (metric) teaspoons
1/2 US Customary Tablespoon	7.39 ml (approx.)	1.5 US teaspoons

4 Australian (Metric) Tablespoons	80 ml	(Equivalent to just over 5 US tbsp)
4 US Customary Tablespoons (1/4 US Cup)	59.15 ml (approx.)	(Equivalent to just under 3 Australian tbsp)

Key Differences:

An **Australian standard (metric) tablespoon** is defined as 20 milliliters. It contains 4 Australian standard (metric) teaspoons (5ml each).
A **US customary tablespoon** is defined as 1/2 a US fluid ounce, which is approximately 14.79 milliliters. It contains 3 US teaspoons.
The Australian tablespoon is significantly larger (by about 5ml or 1 US teaspoon) than the US tablespoon. This is a crucial difference when converting recipes between these regions.
The UK also traditionally used a 15ml tablespoon in older recipes, but newer metric recipes may use 15ml or sometimes align with the Australian 20ml if specified as a "metric tablespoon" in some contexts. Always check recipe notes.
For accurate international recipe conversions, visit kitchencalculator.app.