Tablespoons to Ounces Conversion Calculator

How to Convert Tablespoons to Ounces

By

Joe Sexton

Joe is the creator of Inch Calculator and has over 20 years of experience in engineering and construction. He holds several degrees and certifications.

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Since tablespoons are a unit of volume and ounces are a unit of mass, which are different physical quantities, we need to know one more physical quantity of the ingredient or substance to convert between them. In this case, we need to account for the density of the substance whenever we do a conversion.

Therefore, to convert between tablespoons and ounces of an ingredient or substance, we must either multiply or divide by its density, depending on which direction we are performing the conversion.

Tablespoons to Ounces Formula

To convert a measurement in tablespoons to ounces, multiply the volume by the density of the ingredient, substance, or material. Note that in order for this to work, the density must be in ounces per tablespoon (oz/tbsp).

If the density is given in grams per milliliter (g/mL), then first divide the density by 1.9172 to convert to oz/tbsp.

For a density given in g/mL, you can use this simple formula to convert:

ounces = tablespoons × density / 1.9172

Thus, the weight in ounces is equal to the volume in tablespoons times the density (in g/mL) of the ingredient or material divided by 1.9172.

This formula is for converting to ounces in weight, if you're trying to convert to a volume measurement in fluid ounces, try our tablespoons to fluid ounces calculator.

When to Convert Tablespoons to Ounces

Tablespoons and ounces are both commonly used to measure cooking ingredients.

For cooking applications, most chefs suggest measuring dry ingredients by weight rather than volume to improve accuracy in the measurements.^[1] The density of dry ingredients can vary for a variety of reasons, such as compaction and clumping.

The best way to ensure an accurate conversion is to use a scale. When a scale is not available, a calculator like the one above is a good way to estimate the volume to weight conversion.

For cooking and baking ingredients, you can get more specific results using our butter, flour, and sugar conversion calculators.

Another useful application of weight and volume conversions is chemistry. When performing chemical reactions by combining separate chemicals to produce a new chemical, one must know the exact amount of each chemical to add in order to maximize the yield of the reaction.

It is common to mix powdered chemicals with liquid, or aqueous, chemicals, and this is where it becomes very useful to convert between weights and volumes.^[2]

Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure.