Tablespoon

This tablespoon has a capacity of about 15 mL.

A tablespoon is a type of spoon used for serving.

It is also a measure of volume used in cooking. It has various values around the world, most of which are about 15 milliliters. It is abbreviated in English as T., tbs. or tbsp., and in German and Dutch as EL (from Esslöffel and Eetlepel).

The traditional U.S. interpretation of the tablespoon as a unit of volume was

1 U.S. tablespoon = ½ U.S. fl. oz. (14.8 mL)

1 U.S. tablespoon = 3 U.S. teaspoons

This was considered slightly inconvenient in the context of nutrition labeling, where metric units are used even in the United States. Therefore, U.S. federal law (21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii)) now defines

1 U.S. tablespoon = 15 mL

in line with the definition used in many other countries, including Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. 1 tablespoon = 20 ml in Australia.

The traditional British tablespoon could vary from ¹/₂ to ⁵/₈ Imperial fl. oz. (14.2 mL to 17.8 mL).

Although technically a measure of liquid volume, when used for solids (such as granulated sugar), it should be measured to the flattened level of the spoon (vs. a 'heaping' or 'heaped tablespoon', which is as much as can be held in the spoon).