To convert tablespoons of powdered sugar into grams, multiply by 7.5: one tablespoon comes to 7.5 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 0.50721 g per mL, against 1.00 for water. A cup of water weighs 236.6 g and a cup of powdered sugar weighs 120 g, so this ingredient is 50.72% as heavy as the same volume of water — the single fact the whole page rests on.
A level tablespoon of powdered sugar is 7.5 g, which puts a teaspoon at 2.5 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 11.25 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 0.833% of a cup of powdered sugar, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 4.167 cups, and a 1 kg pack 8.333.
The condition this weight assumes: Sifted. Scooped unsifted it runs 10 to 15% heavier because it clumps around the anti-caking starch.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of powdered sugar you are converting, in tablespoons
7.5- Grams per tablespoon for powdered sugar, from its density of 0.50721 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 7.5, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for powdered sugar.
- 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 powdered sugar in grams
A recipe calling for 2 tbsp of powdered sugar needs 15 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 2 × 7.5 = 15, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 7.5 grams.
4 tbsp of powdered sugar in grams
Take 4 tbsp of powdered sugar: 4 × 7.5 gives 30 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 60 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
12 tbsp of powdered sugar in grams
A recipe calling for 12 tbsp of powdered sugar needs 90 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 12 × 7.5 = 90, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 45 grams.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tbsp of powdered sugar?
One tablespoon of powdered sugar is 7.5 grams. Half that quantity is 3.75 grams and double it is 15 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of powdered sugar not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Powdered sugar has a density of 0.50721 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 120 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 116.6 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 powdered sugar by roughly 20% — about 12 g either side of 120 g — because sifted. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of powdered sugar 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 powdered sugar weighs 0.5291 oz, so the two readings differ by 47.1%. 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 powdered sugar would weigh 126.8 g instead of 120 g — 6.8 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 powdered sugar is 7.5 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 13.3% 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 powdered sugar is 500 g?
500 g of powdered sugar is 66.667 tablespoons — 0.133333 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.133333 = 66.667. Going that way is a division by 7.5, or a multiplication by 0.133333 if you prefer.
Powdered sugar in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 3.75 g | 3.75 |
| 1 tbsp | 7.5 g | 7.5 |
| 2 tbsp | 15 g | 15 |
| 3 tbsp | 22.5 g | 22.5 |
| 4 tbsp | 30 g | 30 |
| 6 tbsp | 45 g | 45 |
| 8 tbsp | 60 g | 60 |
| 12 tbsp | 90 g | 90 |
| 16 tbsp | 120 g | 120 |
Based on 120 g per cup of powdered sugar. One tablespoon of powdered sugar is 7.5 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 120 g | 4.23 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 7.5 g | 0.265 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 5 g | 0.176 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 2.5 g | 0.0882 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.875 g | 0.0661 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.25 g | 0.0441 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.625 g | 0.022 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.3125 g | 0.011 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cake flour | 114 g | 4.021 oz | 0.4818 |
| Whole wheat flour | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| Tapioca starch | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| Powdered sugar (this page) | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| All-purpose flour | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
| Self-rising flour | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
| Bread flour | 127 g | 4.48 oz | 0.5368 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.