To convert grams of table salt into teaspoons, multiply by 0.16666667: one gram comes to 0.16666667 teaspoons. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — table salt measures 1.2173 g per mL. That ratio, 121.7%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level teaspoon of table salt weighs 6 g. A kitchen scale that reads to the nearest gram is therefore working at roughly 16.7% resolution on a single spoonful, which is why measuring spoons beat scales below about 5 g and lose to them above it. Three teaspoons make a tablespoon, so the same spoonful is 18 g if the recipe scales up.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.347% of a cup of table salt, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 1.736 cups, and a 1 kg pack 3.472.
How the figure is arrived at: Fine cubic crystals that pack tightly — the densest thing in the cupboard, and the reason a salt swap by volume goes so badly wrong.
The formula
grams- The amount of table salt you are converting, in grams
0.166666666667- Teaspoons per gram for table salt, from its density of 1.2173 g/mL
teaspoons- The equivalent quantity in teaspoons
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in grams.
- It is multiplied by 0.166666666667, the teaspoons-per-gram figure for table salt.
- The result appears in teaspoons, with a second reading in mL beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
50 g of table salt in teaspoons
A recipe calling for 50 g of table salt needs 8.33333 teaspoons on the scale. The arithmetic is 50 × 0.16666667 = 8.3333333, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 4.16667 teaspoons.
150 g of table salt in teaspoons
Take 150 g of table salt: 150 × 0.16666667 gives 25 teaspoons. Doubling the batch takes it to 50 teaspoons, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
500 g of table salt in teaspoons
500 g of table salt weighs out at 83.3333 teaspoons. Divide 83.3333 by 0.16666667 and you get back to 500 g, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many teaspoons are in 1 g of table salt?
One gram of table salt is 0.16666667 teaspoons. Half that quantity is 0.0833333 teaspoons and double it is 0.333333 teaspoons, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of table salt not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Table salt has a density of 1.2173 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 288 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 51.4 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 table salt by roughly 20% — about 28.8 g either side of 288 g — because fine cubic crystals that pack tightly — the densest thing in the cupboard, and the reason a salt swap by volume goes so badly wrong. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of table 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 table salt weighs 1.27 oz, so the two readings differ by 27%. 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 table salt would weigh 304.33 g instead of 288 g — 16.3 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?
At this size the spoon wins. One teaspoon of table salt is 6 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 16.7% resolution on that — a measuring spoon is the more accurate instrument below about 5 g, which is why spice quantities are still written in spoons.
How much does 2 tsp of table salt weigh?
2 tsp of table salt comes to 12 g, or 12 grams. This page runs that calculation in reverse — enter a weight and it returns the volume — and the teaspoons-to-grams page does it in the direction the question is usually asked.
Table salt in grams and teaspoons
| Grams | Teaspoons | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 g | 0.833333 tsp | 0.8333333333 |
| 10 g | 1.66667 tsp | 1.666666667 |
| 25 g | 4.16667 tsp | 4.166666667 |
| 50 g | 8.33333 tsp | 8.333333333 |
| 100 g | 16.6667 tsp | 16.66666667 |
| 125 g | 20.8333 tsp | 20.83333333 |
| 150 g | 25 tsp | 25 |
| 200 g | 33.3333 tsp | 33.33333333 |
| 250 g | 41.6667 tsp | 41.66666667 |
| 300 g | 50 tsp | 50 |
| 500 g | 83.3333 tsp | 83.33333333 |
| 1000 g | 166.667 tsp | 166.6666667 |
Based on 288 g per cup of table salt. One gram of table salt is 0.16666667 teaspoons.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 288 g | 10.2 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 18 g | 0.635 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 12 g | 0.423 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 6 g | 0.212 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 4.5 g | 0.159 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 3 g | 0.106 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.5 g | 0.0529 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.75 g | 0.0265 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 | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
| Table salt (this page) | 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.