The imperial tablespoon is a unit of volume once commonly used in the United Kingdom and countries that followed the imperial measurement system. One imperial tablespoon equals 17.7582 milliliters, making it noticeably larger than its US counterpart, which holds about 14.79 milliliters. It's abbreviated as tbsp and has long been a standard measure in British cooking and recipe instructions.
Although the UK now officially uses the metric system, the imperial tablespoon is still found in many traditional cookbooks and recipes. It belongs to the broader imperial set of volume measurements, including teaspoons, fluid ounces, and pints, and is often used in contexts where imperial units are still familiar and widely recognized.
Uses: The imperial tablespoon was once a staple in British kitchens, commonly used to measure liquids and dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, and syrups. It remains present in older recipes, especially those passed down through generations or found in vintage cookbooks that use imperial measures as the standard.
While modern kitchen tools in the UK tend to favor metric measurements, the imperial tablespoon is still referenced in some food packaging, serving sizes, and even pharmaceutical instructions. Understanding the imperial tablespoon is key to maintaining original proportions and flavor for cooks revisiting traditional British dishes or converting recipes accurately.
The imperial fluid ounce is a unit of volume from the imperial measurement system, traditionally used in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. One imperial fluid ounce is equal to 28.4131 milliliters, which makes it slightly larger than the US fluid ounce (approximately 29.57 mL in the US system). It's commonly abbreviated as fl oz and was widely used for measuring liquids in recipes, packaging, and day-to-day household tasks.
Uses: The imperial fluid ounce was once a standard unit in British kitchens, used to measure ingredients such as milk, oil, and other cooking liquids. While most modern recipes in the UK now use milliliters or grams, many older or traditional recipes still list quantities in fluid ounces. This makes the unit especially relevant for those cooking from classic British cookbooks or following long-standing family recipes.
The imperial fluid ounce still appears on many UK labels, especially for drinks, personal care products, and older medicinal packaging. Whether you're following a traditional recipe or measuring from labeled packaging, knowing how this unit works helps you convert accurately and maintain consistency.
1 tbsp (imp) = 0.625 fl oz (imp)
Let’s say you want to convert 100 tbsp (imp) to fl oz (imp).
Using the formula:
100 × 0.625 = 62.5 fl oz (imp)
So, 100 tbsp (imp) is approximately 62.5 fl oz (imp).
| Tablespoon (Imperial) (tbsp (imp)) | Fluid Ounce (Imperial) (fl oz (imp)) |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp (imp) | 0.625 fl oz (imp) |
| 2 tbsp (imp) | 1.25 fl oz (imp) |
| 3 tbsp (imp) | 1.875 fl oz (imp) |
| 4 tbsp (imp) | 2.5 fl oz (imp) |
| 5 tbsp (imp) | 3.125 fl oz (imp) |
| 6 tbsp (imp) | 3.75 fl oz (imp) |
| 7 tbsp (imp) | 4.375 fl oz (imp) |
| 8 tbsp (imp) | 5 fl oz (imp) |
| 9 tbsp (imp) | 5.625 fl oz (imp) |
| 10 tbsp (imp) | 6.25 fl oz (imp) |
| 11 tbsp (imp) | 6.875 fl oz (imp) |
| 12 tbsp (imp) | 7.5 fl oz (imp) |
| 13 tbsp (imp) | 8.125 fl oz (imp) |
| 14 tbsp (imp) | 8.75 fl oz (imp) |
| 15 tbsp (imp) | 9.375 fl oz (imp) |