One tablespoon of kosher salt is 15 grams, so converting tablespoons of kosher salt to grams means multiplying by 15. That factor is specific to this ingredient — it comes from its density, not from any relationship between the two units.
The density behind that figure is 1.0144 g per mL, against 1.00 for water. A cup of water weighs 236.6 g and a cup of kosher salt weighs 240 g, so this ingredient is 101.4% as heavy as the same volume of water — the single fact the whole page rests on.
A level tablespoon of kosher salt is 15 g, which puts a teaspoon at 5 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 22.5 g. Levelling twice is where the error comes from, so the scale is the faster instrument once the quantity passes a couple of spoons.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.417% of a cup of kosher salt, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 2.083 cups, and a 1 kg pack 4.167.
The condition this weight assumes: Flake size differs between brands by nearly a factor of two, which makes this the most variable figure on the site. Weigh it when it matters.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of kosher salt you are converting, in tablespoons
15- Grams per tablespoon for kosher salt, from its density of 1.0144 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 15, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for kosher salt.
- The result appears in grams, with a second reading in oz beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
2 tbsp of kosher salt in grams
A recipe calling for 2 tbsp of kosher salt needs 30 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 2 × 15 = 30, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 15 grams.
4 tbsp of kosher salt in grams
A recipe calling for 4 tbsp of kosher salt needs 60 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 4 × 15 = 60, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 30 grams.
12 tbsp of kosher salt in grams
Take 12 tbsp of kosher salt: 12 × 15 gives 180 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 360 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
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Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tbsp of kosher salt?
One tablespoon of kosher salt is 15 grams. Half that quantity is 7.5 grams and double it is 30 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of kosher salt not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Kosher salt has a density of 1.0144 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 240 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 3.4 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. Handling changes the weight of a cup of kosher salt by roughly 20% — about 24 g either side of 240 g — because flake size differs between brands by nearly a factor of two, which makes this the most variable figure on the site. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of kosher salt the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of kosher salt weighs 1.058 oz, so the two readings differ by 5.82%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of kosher salt would weigh 253.61 g instead of 240 g — 13.6 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 20% for kosher salt — roughly 48 g on a 240 g cup — while a domestic scale is accurate to a gram or two. For anything where the ratio of ingredients drives the outcome, bread and pastry above all, weigh it.
How many tablespoons of kosher salt is 500 g?
500 g of kosher salt is 33.333 tablespoons — 0.0666667 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.0666667 = 33.333. Going that way is a division by 15, or a multiplication by 0.0666667 if you prefer.
Kosher salt in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 7.5 g | 7.5 |
| 1 tbsp | 15 g | 15 |
| 2 tbsp | 30 g | 30 |
| 3 tbsp | 45 g | 45 |
| 4 tbsp | 60 g | 60 |
| 6 tbsp | 90 g | 90 |
| 8 tbsp | 120 g | 120 |
| 12 tbsp | 180 g | 180 |
| 16 tbsp | 240 g | 240 |
Based on 240 g per cup of kosher salt. One tablespoon of kosher salt is 15 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 240 g | 8.47 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 15 g | 0.529 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 10 g | 0.353 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 5 g | 0.176 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 3.75 g | 0.132 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 g | 0.0882 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.25 g | 0.0441 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.625 g | 0.022 oz | 0.6161 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground turmeric | 144 g | 5.079 oz | 0.6087 |
| Powdered gelatin | 150 g | 5.291 oz | 0.634 |
| Baking powder | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
| Vanilla extract | 202 g | 7.125 oz | 0.8538 |
| Kosher salt (this page) | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
| Table salt | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
| Baking soda | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.