Butter Converter
How many tablespoons in a stick? How many grams in half a cup? Enter any amount of butter and see it in every unit at once.
Butter conversion chart
In the US, butter is sold in 1-pound boxes of four sticks. Each stick is ½ cup and is marked in tablespoons on the wrapper.
| Sticks | Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ stick | 2 tbsp | 2 | 28 g | 1 oz |
| ½ stick | ¼ cup | 4 | 57 g | 2 oz |
| 1 stick | ½ cup | 8 | 113 g | 4 oz |
| 1½ sticks | ¾ cup | 12 | 170 g | 6 oz |
| 2 sticks | 1 cup | 16 | 227 g | 8 oz |
| 3 sticks | 1½ cups | 24 | 340 g | 12 oz |
| 4 sticks | 2 cups | 32 | 454 g | 16 oz (1 lb) |
Handy numbers: 1 tablespoon of butter ≈ 14 g, 1 teaspoon ≈ 4.7 g, and a European or Australian 250 g block ≈ 2.2 US sticks (1 cup + 1½ tbsp).
Measuring butter without a wrapper
- Weigh it. This is the most accurate method. Use the gram values above.
- Water displacement. Fill a liquid measuring cup with 1 cup of cold water, add butter until the level rises by the amount you need, then drain the water.
- Pack it. For softened butter, press it firmly into a dry measuring cup to push out air pockets, then level it off.
Butter substitutions
- Salted for unsalted: the amounts are the same. Reduce the recipe's added salt by about ¼ teaspoon per stick of salted butter (brands vary).
- Oil for melted butter: use about ¾ as much oil (for example, ¾ cup oil for 1 cup butter). Butter is roughly 80% fat and oil is 100% fat. Oil works best in recipes that call for melted butter, such as muffins, quick breads and brownies, and not in recipes that cream butter with sugar.
- Margarine or baking sticks: usually 1:1 by volume, but spreads in tubs contain more water and can make cookies spread.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a stick of butter?
8 tablespoons. A US stick is ½ cup, 4 ounces or about 113 grams.
How much is 100 grams of butter?
About 7 tablespoons, a little under a stick (0.88 sticks), or just under ½ cup.
Are all sticks of butter the same size?
In the US, yes: 4 oz (113 g). The long, thin "Elgin" sticks common in the eastern US and the short, stubby "Western" sticks are the same weight in a different shape. Outside the US, butter is usually sold in 250 g or 200 g blocks.