To convert tablespoons of shredded coconut into grams, multiply by 5.3125: one tablespoon comes to 5.3125 grams. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
The density behind that figure is 0.35927 g per mL, against 1.00 for water. A cup of water weighs 236.6 g and a cup of shredded coconut weighs 85 g, so this ingredient is 35.93% as heavy as the same volume of water — the single fact the whole page rests on.
A level tablespoon of shredded coconut is 5.312 g, which puts a teaspoon at 1.771 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 7.969 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 1.18% of a cup of shredded coconut, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 5.882 cups, and a 1 kg pack 11.76.
How the figure is arrived at: Unsweetened and dried. Sweetened flake is heavier per cup because of the sugar coating it.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of shredded coconut you are converting, in tablespoons
5.3125- Grams per tablespoon for shredded coconut, from its density of 0.35927 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 5.3125, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for shredded coconut.
- 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 shredded coconut in grams
A recipe calling for 2 tbsp of shredded coconut needs 10.625 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 2 × 5.3125 = 10.625, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 5.3125 grams.
4 tbsp of shredded coconut in grams
Take 4 tbsp of shredded coconut: 4 × 5.3125 gives 21.25 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 42.5 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
12 tbsp of shredded coconut in grams
A recipe calling for 12 tbsp of shredded coconut needs 63.75 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 12 × 5.3125 = 63.75, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 31.875 grams.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tbsp of shredded coconut?
One tablespoon of shredded coconut is 5.3125 grams. Half that quantity is 2.65625 grams and double it is 10.625 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of shredded coconut not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Shredded coconut has a density of 0.35927 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 85 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 151.6 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 shredded coconut by roughly 12% — about 5.1 g either side of 85 g — because unsweetened and dried. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of shredded coconut 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 shredded coconut weighs 0.3748 oz, so the two readings differ by 62.5%. 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 shredded coconut would weigh 89.818 g instead of 85 g — 4.82 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 tablespoon of shredded coconut is 5.312 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 18.8% 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 tablespoons of shredded coconut is 500 g?
500 g of shredded coconut is 94.118 tablespoons — 0.188235 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.188235 = 94.118. Going that way is a division by 5.3125, or a multiplication by 0.188235 if you prefer.
Shredded coconut in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 2.65625 g | 2.65625 |
| 1 tbsp | 5.3125 g | 5.3125 |
| 2 tbsp | 10.625 g | 10.625 |
| 3 tbsp | 15.9375 g | 15.9375 |
| 4 tbsp | 21.25 g | 21.25 |
| 6 tbsp | 31.875 g | 31.875 |
| 8 tbsp | 42.5 g | 42.5 |
| 12 tbsp | 63.75 g | 63.75 |
| 16 tbsp | 85 g | 85 |
Based on 85 g per cup of shredded coconut. One tablespoon of shredded coconut is 5.3125 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 85 g | 3 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 5.312 g | 0.187 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 3.542 g | 0.125 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 1.771 g | 0.0625 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.328 g | 0.0468 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 0.8854 g | 0.0312 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.4427 g | 0.0156 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.2214 g | 0.00781 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini marshmallows | 50 g | 1.764 oz | 0.2113 |
| Sliced almonds | 85 g | 2.998 oz | 0.3593 |
| Shredded coconut (this page) | 85 g | 2.998 oz | 0.3593 |
| Grated parmesan | 100 g | 3.527 oz | 0.4227 |
| Chopped pecans | 113 g | 3.986 oz | 0.4776 |
| Shredded cheddar | 113 g | 3.986 oz | 0.4776 |
| Chopped walnuts | 117 g | 4.127 oz | 0.4945 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.