To convert teaspoons of table salt into grams, multiply by 6: one teaspoon comes to 6 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 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.
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
teaspoons- The amount of table salt you are converting, in teaspoons
6- Grams per teaspoon 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 teaspoons.
- It is multiplied by 6, the grams-per-teaspoon 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
3/4 tsp of table salt in grams
3/4 tsp of table salt weighs out at 4.5 grams. Divide 4.5 by 6 and you get back to 3/4 tsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
1 1/2 tsp of table salt in grams
1 1/2 tsp of table salt weighs out at 9 grams. Divide 9 by 6 and you get back to 1 1/2 tsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
4 tsp of table salt in grams
A recipe calling for 4 tsp of table salt needs 24 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 4 × 6 = 24, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 12 grams.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tsp of table salt?
One teaspoon of table salt is 6 grams. Half that quantity is 3 grams and double it is 12 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?
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 many teaspoons of table salt is 500 g?
500 g of table salt is 83.333 teaspoons — 0.166667 teaspoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.166667 = 83.333. Going that way is a division by 6, or a multiplication by 0.166667 if you prefer.
Table salt in teaspoons and grams
| Teaspoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 1.5 g | 1.5 |
| 1/2 tsp | 3 g | 3 |
| 3/4 tsp | 4.5 g | 4.5 |
| 1 tsp | 6 g | 6 |
| 1 1/2 tsp | 9 g | 9 |
| 2 tsp | 12 g | 12 |
| 3 tsp | 18 g | 18 |
| 4 tsp | 24 g | 24 |
| 6 tsp | 36 g | 36 |
Based on 288 g per cup of table salt. One teaspoon of table salt is 6 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.