To convert tablespoons of table salt into grams, multiply by 18: one tablespoon comes to 18 grams. 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 tablespoon of table salt is 18 g, which puts a teaspoon at 6 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 27 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 0.347% 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.
What the number depends on: 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
tablespoons- The amount of table salt you are converting, in tablespoons
18- Grams per tablespoon for table salt, from its density of 1.2173 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 18, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for table 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 table salt in grams
Take 2 tbsp of table salt: 2 × 18 gives 36 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 72 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
4 tbsp of table salt in grams
A recipe calling for 4 tbsp of table salt needs 72 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 4 × 18 = 72, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 36 grams.
12 tbsp of table salt in grams
A recipe calling for 12 tbsp of table salt needs 216 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 12 × 18 = 216, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 108 grams.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tbsp of table salt?
One tablespoon of table salt is 18 grams. Half that quantity is 9 grams and double it is 36 grams, 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?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 20% for table salt — roughly 57.6 g on a 288 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 table salt is 500 g?
500 g of table salt is 27.778 tablespoons — 0.0555556 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.0555556 = 27.778. Going that way is a division by 18, or a multiplication by 0.0555556 if you prefer.
Table salt in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 9 g | 9 |
| 1 tbsp | 18 g | 18 |
| 2 tbsp | 36 g | 36 |
| 3 tbsp | 54 g | 54 |
| 4 tbsp | 72 g | 72 |
| 6 tbsp | 108 g | 108 |
| 8 tbsp | 144 g | 144 |
| 12 tbsp | 216 g | 216 |
| 16 tbsp | 288 g | 288 |
Based on 288 g per cup of table salt. One tablespoon of table salt is 18 grams.
| 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.