Cup, spoon and ounce sizes compared
| Measure | US | Metric | Australia | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 237 ml | 250 ml | 250 ml | 250 ml (metric) |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | 15 ml | 20 ml | 15 ml |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml |
| 1 fluid ounce | 29.6 ml | - | - | 28.4 ml |
| 1 pint | 473 ml | - | - | 568 ml |
The US cup and the metric cup
A US cup is 236.6 ml, usually rounded to 237 ml. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and many other countries use a metric cup of 250 ml. The metric cup is about 6 percent bigger. For a cup of flour that is a difference of several grams, which is why a cup recipe from one country can turn out differently when made with the other.
The 20 ml tablespoon
Australia is the unusual one for spoons. An Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, while the US, UK and New Zealand tablespoon is 15 ml. If a recipe calls for several tablespoons of something strong, such as baking powder or salt, check which country it comes from.
Butter in different countries
The US sells butter in sticks of 113 g, where 2 sticks make 1 cup, about 227 g. In Australia and New Zealand, a 250 g block is treated as 1 cup of butter. In the UK, butter usually comes as a 250 g block and recipes give grams. See the butter conversions chart for sticks, tablespoons and ounces.
What to do when your cup does not match
The most reliable fix is to use grams. If you must use cups, measure with the cup size the recipe was written for, and read the author’s country from the site or the units used. When the recipe uses the same measure all through, a slightly bigger or smaller cup still gives the right proportions, as long as you use the same cup for everything.