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 gallon is a unit of volume used in the imperial measurement system, and it is historically common in the United Kingdom and several other countries. One imperial gallon is equal to 4.54609 liters, which makes it significantly larger than the US gallon (approximately 3.785 liters). It is abbreviated as gal and traditionally used for measuring liquids in larger quantities.
In the imperial system, a gallon is made up of four quarts, eight pints, or 160 imperial fluid ounces. Though the UK has officially adopted the metric system, the imperial gallon is still recognized in specific contexts and remains part of British measurement history. It's most commonly associated with fuel pricing and older food or drink packaging.
Uses: The imperial gallon is most commonly seen today at fuel stations in the UK, where petrol and diesel are still sold by the gallon for pricing comparisons, even though the actual quantity delivered is measured in liters. Historically, the gallon was used for everything from milk deliveries to beer and cider sales.
While modern recipes and packaging have largely shifted to liters and milliliters, the imperial gallon occasionally appears in traditional instructions or product specs, especially for bulk liquids. For those referencing older materials or converting classic measurements, the imperial gallon remains a useful and historically significant unit.
1 tbsp (imp) = 0.003906 gal (imp)
Let’s say you want to convert 100 tbsp (imp) to gal (imp).
Using the formula:
100 × 0.003906 = 0.391 gal (imp)
So, 100 tbsp (imp) is approximately 0.391 gal (imp).
| Tablespoon (Imperial) (tbsp (imp)) | Gallon (Imperial) (gal (imp)) |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp (imp) | 0.004 gal (imp) |
| 2 tbsp (imp) | 0.008 gal (imp) |
| 3 tbsp (imp) | 0.012 gal (imp) |
| 4 tbsp (imp) | 0.016 gal (imp) |
| 5 tbsp (imp) | 0.02 gal (imp) |
| 6 tbsp (imp) | 0.023 gal (imp) |
| 7 tbsp (imp) | 0.027 gal (imp) |
| 8 tbsp (imp) | 0.031 gal (imp) |
| 9 tbsp (imp) | 0.035 gal (imp) |
| 10 tbsp (imp) | 0.039 gal (imp) |
| 11 tbsp (imp) | 0.043 gal (imp) |
| 12 tbsp (imp) | 0.047 gal (imp) |
| 13 tbsp (imp) | 0.051 gal (imp) |
| 14 tbsp (imp) | 0.055 gal (imp) |
| 15 tbsp (imp) | 0.059 gal (imp) |