Grams to Tablespoons: Sugar

One US tablespoon of sugar weighs 12.5 grams, so 20 g is 1.60 tablespoons and 100 g is 8.00 tablespoons. Every figure on this page is derived from a published density, linked below.

Sugar Converter

Locked to sugar — type any amount in grams.

Grams

Ingredient

1.60 tablespoons of granulated sugar ≈ 1⅔ tbsp · 4.80 tsp

Tablespoon

1 tablespoon granulated sugar = 12.5 g · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, "Sugars, granulated" (fdcId 169655)

JavaScript is off, so the spoon and measuring-method buttons above are inactive and the converter shows its preset of 20 g. The full table below gives every ingredient at this amount, and the tablespoon sections cover US, metric and Australian spoons.

Sugar Conversion Chart (1 g – 250 g)

Thirty common amounts, with the decimal and the nearest practical spoon. Below a quarter teaspoon the fraction is dropped, because rounding would be larger than the quantity.

Sugar from 1 g to 250 g. One tablespoon weighs 12.5 g, so every row is that figure divided into the amount.
Grams	Tablespoons	Nearest spoon	Teaspoons
1 g	0.08 tbsp	¼ tsp	0.24 tsp
2 g	0.16 tbsp	½ tsp	0.48 tsp
3 g	0.24 tbsp	¾ tsp	0.72 tsp
4 g	0.32 tbsp	1 tsp	0.96 tsp
5 g	0.40 tbsp	1¼ tsp	1.20 tsp
6 g	0.48 tbsp	1½ tsp	1.44 tsp
7 g	0.56 tbsp	1⅔ tsp	1.68 tsp
8 g	0.64 tbsp	2 tsp	1.92 tsp
9 g	0.72 tbsp	2⅛ tsp	2.16 tsp
10 g	0.80 tbsp	2⅓ tsp	2.40 tsp
12 g	0.96 tbsp	3 tsp	2.88 tsp
15 g	1.20 tbsp	1¼ tbsp	3.60 tsp
20 g	1.60 tbsp	1⅔ tbsp	4.80 tsp
25 g	2.00 tbsp	2 tbsp	6.00 tsp
30 g	2.40 tbsp	2⅓ tbsp	7.20 tsp
40 g	3.20 tbsp	3¼ tbsp	9.60 tsp
50 g	4.00 tbsp	4 tbsp	12.0 tsp
60 g	4.80 tbsp	4¾ tbsp	14.4 tsp
70 g	5.60 tbsp	5⅔ tbsp	16.8 tsp
75 g	6.00 tbsp	6 tbsp	18.0 tsp
80 g	6.40 tbsp	6⅓ tbsp	19.2 tsp
90 g	7.20 tbsp	7¼ tbsp	21.6 tsp
100 g	8.00 tbsp	8 tbsp	24.0 tsp
110 g	8.80 tbsp	8¾ tbsp	26.4 tsp
125 g	10.0 tbsp	10 tbsp	30.0 tsp
150 g	12.0 tbsp	12 tbsp	36.0 tsp
175 g	14.0 tbsp	14 tbsp	42.0 tsp
200 g	16.0 tbsp	16 tbsp	48.0 tsp
225 g	18.0 tbsp	18 tbsp	54.0 tsp
250 g	20.0 tbsp	20 tbsp	60.0 tsp

Sugar Types Compared

Not every sugar weighs the same per spoon. Brown Sugar is the heaviest at 13.7 g per tablespoon and Powdered Sugar the lightest at 7.50 g — a difference of 83%.

One US tablespoon of each type, derived from its own density.
Type	Density	1 tbsp	20 g =	Source
Granulated Sugar	0.8453	12.5 g	1.60 tbsp	USDA
Brown Sugar	0.9299	13.7 g	1.45 tbsp	USDA
Powdered Sugar	0.5072	7.50 g	2.67 tbsp	USDA

The Sugar Measuring Pitfall

Brown sugar is the trap. USDA records the same cup at 220 g packed and 145 g unpacked — a difference of more than half again. Recipes almost always mean packed, which is the figure this site uses, but an unpacked cup will leave you well short.

Granulated, brown and powdered sugar are three different densities wearing one name. Brown sugar packs heavier than granulated, and powdered sugar is markedly lighter than both, so a tablespoon of one is simply not a tablespoon of another. Any recipe that says "sugar" without saying which is leaving out the part that changes the answer.

Sugar in US, Metric and Australian Tablespoons

One tablespoon of sugar weighs 12.5 g in a US spoon, 12.7 g in a metric spoon and 16.9 g in an Australian one. An Australian tablespoon holds 35.3% more volume than a US one, so the same weight needs 26.1% fewer of them.

Sugar FAQ

How many grams is 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar?

One US tablespoon of granulated sugar weighs 12.5 g. A 15 ml metric tablespoon holds 12.7 g and a 20 ml Australian tablespoon holds 16.9 g of it.

Why does granulated sugar convert differently from other ingredients?

Because its density is 0.8453 g per ml. Density is the whole conversion: multiply it by the spoon volume to get the weight of one spoonful, then divide your grams by that.

Do different types of granulated sugar weigh the same?

Not always. The comparison table above lists each variety we hold a sourced density for. Where two varieties differ, use the one your recipe names rather than the general figure.

Where does your granulated sugar density come from?

From USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, "Sugars, granulated" (fdcId 169655): 1 cup = 200 g. We publish the source URL for every ingredient and record the published spread on our methodology page rather than averaging sources silently.

Should I measure granulated sugar by weight instead?

Where you can, yes. NIST's own guidance for the metric kitchen is that mass is the reliable measure, because how you fill a spoon changes what a spoonful weighs. Volume conversions like this one are for when a scale is not to hand.

What if I need less than a tablespoon of granulated sugar?

Results under one tablespoon are shown in teaspoons, since 1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons in all three conventions. Below a quarter teaspoon we stop offering a fraction and recommend a scale — at that size two very different weights would round to the same marking.

Common Sugar Amounts

The amounts most often converted for this ingredient.