To convert grams of whole wheat flour into tablespoons, multiply by 0.13333333: one gram comes to 0.13333333 tablespoons. 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 whole wheat flour 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 whole wheat flour 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 whole wheat flour, 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: The bran and germ are bulkier than the endosperm they replace, so a cup weighs less than white flour despite feeling coarser.
The formula
grams- The amount of whole wheat flour you are converting, in grams
0.133333333333- Tablespoons per gram for whole wheat flour, from its density of 0.50721 g/mL
tablespoons- The equivalent quantity in tablespoons
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in grams.
- It is multiplied by 0.133333333333, the tablespoons-per-gram figure for whole wheat flour.
- The result appears in tablespoons, with a second reading in tsp beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
50 g of whole wheat flour in tablespoons
Take 50 g of whole wheat flour: 50 × 0.13333333 gives 6.66667 tablespoons. Doubling the batch takes it to 13.3333 tablespoons, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
150 g of whole wheat flour in tablespoons
150 g of whole wheat flour weighs out at 20 tablespoons. Divide 20 by 0.13333333 and you get back to 150 g, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
500 g of whole wheat flour in tablespoons
Take 500 g of whole wheat flour: 500 × 0.13333333 gives 66.6667 tablespoons. Doubling the batch takes it to 133.333 tablespoons, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in 1 g of whole wheat flour?
One gram of whole wheat flour is 0.13333333 tablespoons. Half that quantity is 0.0666667 tablespoons and double it is 0.266667 tablespoons, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of whole wheat flour not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Whole wheat flour 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 whole wheat flour by roughly 20% — about 12 g either side of 120 g — because the bran and germ are bulkier than the endosperm they replace, so a cup weighs less than white flour despite feeling coarser. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of whole wheat flour 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 whole wheat flour 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 whole wheat flour 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 whole wheat flour 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 much does 3 tbsp of whole wheat flour weigh?
3 tbsp of whole wheat flour comes to 22.5 g, or 22.5 grams. This page runs that calculation in reverse — enter a weight and it returns the volume — and the tablespoons-to-grams page does it in the direction the question is usually asked.
Whole wheat flour in grams and tablespoons
| Grams | Tablespoons | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 g | 0.666667 tbsp | 0.6666666667 |
| 10 g | 1.33333 tbsp | 1.333333333 |
| 25 g | 3.33333 tbsp | 3.333333333 |
| 50 g | 6.66667 tbsp | 6.666666667 |
| 100 g | 13.3333 tbsp | 13.33333333 |
| 125 g | 16.6667 tbsp | 16.66666667 |
| 150 g | 20 tbsp | 20 |
| 200 g | 26.6667 tbsp | 26.66666667 |
| 250 g | 33.3333 tbsp | 33.33333333 |
| 300 g | 40 tbsp | 40 |
| 500 g | 66.6667 tbsp | 66.66666667 |
| 1000 g | 133.333 tbsp | 133.3333333 |
Based on 120 g per cup of whole wheat flour. One gram of whole wheat flour is 0.13333333 tablespoons.
| 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry breadcrumbs | 108 g | 3.81 oz | 0.4565 |
| Coconut flour | 112 g | 3.951 oz | 0.4734 |
| Cake flour | 114 g | 4.021 oz | 0.4818 |
| Whole wheat flour (this page) | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| Tapioca starch | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| All-purpose flour | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.