The tablespoon, a common culinary unit, has a fascinating history and diverse applications beyond cooking. Originating from the Middle Ages, tablespoons were initially crafted from wood or horn and varied significantly in size based on regional preferences and the cook’s discretion. Today, the US tablespoon is standardized to 15 milliliters, while in Australia, it measures 20 milliliters. This discrepancy can result in culinary conundrums, especially in international recipes.
Beyond the kitchen, the tablespoon is often used in pharmaceuticals to measure liquid medicine doses and in the sciences for informal yet practical measurements. Fun fact: a tablespoon of water weighs about half an ounce, which can be a neat trick to estimate small weights without a scale.
The centilitre, a lesser-known unit, is often overshadowed by its more popular counterparts, the litre and millilitre. Primarily used in European countries, a centilitre (cL) is equal to 10 millilitres or one-hundredth of a litre. It’s a convenient measure for small volumes, especially in the context of beverages. For example, if you order a glass of wine in France or Switzerland, it’s common for the serving size to be expressed in centilitres, like 12.5 cL, which allows for precise portion control and is distinct from the typically larger measurements used elsewhere. This unit provides an ideal balance between too fine a granularity and too coarse a measurement, making it popular in the culinary world.
Tablespoons | Centilitres |
---|---|
0
Tbs
|
0
cl
|
1
Tbs
|
1.47868
cl
|
2
Tbs
|
2.95735
cl
|
3
Tbs
|
4.43603
cl
|
4
Tbs
|
5.91471
cl
|
5
Tbs
|
7.39338
cl
|
6
Tbs
|
8.87206
cl
|
7
Tbs
|
10.35074
cl
|
8
Tbs
|
11.82941
cl
|
9
Tbs
|
13.30809
cl
|
10
Tbs
|
14.78676
cl
|
11
Tbs
|
16.26544
cl
|
12
Tbs
|
17.74412
cl
|
13
Tbs
|
19.22279
cl
|
14
Tbs
|
20.70147
cl
|
15
Tbs
|
22.18015
cl
|
16
Tbs
|
23.65882
cl
|
17
Tbs
|
25.1375
cl
|
18
Tbs
|
26.61618
cl
|
19
Tbs
|
28.09485
cl
|
20
Tbs
|
29.57353
cl
|
21
Tbs
|
31.05221
cl
|
22
Tbs
|
32.53088
cl
|
23
Tbs
|
34.00956
cl
|
24
Tbs
|
35.48824
cl
|
25
Tbs
|
36.96691
cl
|
26
Tbs
|
38.44559
cl
|
27
Tbs
|
39.92427
cl
|
28
Tbs
|
41.40294
cl
|
29
Tbs
|
42.88162
cl
|
30
Tbs
|
44.36029
cl
|
31
Tbs
|
45.83897
cl
|
32
Tbs
|
47.31765
cl
|
33
Tbs
|
48.79632
cl
|
34
Tbs
|
50.275
cl
|
35
Tbs
|
51.75368
cl
|
36
Tbs
|
53.23235
cl
|
37
Tbs
|
54.71103
cl
|
38
Tbs
|
56.18971
cl
|
39
Tbs
|
57.66838
cl
|
40
Tbs
|
59.14706
cl
|
41
Tbs
|
60.62574
cl
|
42
Tbs
|
62.10441
cl
|
43
Tbs
|
63.58309
cl
|
44
Tbs
|
65.06177
cl
|
45
Tbs
|
66.54044
cl
|
46
Tbs
|
68.01912
cl
|
47
Tbs
|
69.49779
cl
|
48
Tbs
|
70.97647
cl
|
49
Tbs
|
72.45515
cl
|
50
Tbs
|
73.93382
cl
|
51
Tbs
|
75.4125
cl
|
52
Tbs
|
76.89118
cl
|
53
Tbs
|
78.36985
cl
|
54
Tbs
|
79.84853
cl
|
55
Tbs
|
81.32721
cl
|
56
Tbs
|
82.80588
cl
|
57
Tbs
|
84.28456
cl
|
58
Tbs
|
85.76324
cl
|
59
Tbs
|
87.24191
cl
|
60
Tbs
|
88.72059
cl
|
61
Tbs
|
90.19927
cl
|
62
Tbs
|
91.67794
cl
|
63
Tbs
|
93.15662
cl
|
64
Tbs
|
94.63529
cl
|
65
Tbs
|
96.11397
cl
|
66
Tbs
|
97.59265
cl
|
67
Tbs
|
99.07132
cl
|
68
Tbs
|
100.55
cl
|
69
Tbs
|
102.02868
cl
|
70
Tbs
|
103.50735
cl
|
71
Tbs
|
104.98603
cl
|
72
Tbs
|
106.46471
cl
|
73
Tbs
|
107.94338
cl
|
74
Tbs
|
109.42206
cl
|
75
Tbs
|
110.90074
cl
|
76
Tbs
|
112.37941
cl
|
77
Tbs
|
113.85809
cl
|
78
Tbs
|
115.33677
cl
|
79
Tbs
|
116.81544
cl
|
80
Tbs
|
118.29412
cl
|
81
Tbs
|
119.7728
cl
|
82
Tbs
|
121.25147
cl
|
83
Tbs
|
122.73015
cl
|
84
Tbs
|
124.20882
cl
|
85
Tbs
|
125.6875
cl
|
86
Tbs
|
127.16618
cl
|
87
Tbs
|
128.64485
cl
|
88
Tbs
|
130.12353
cl
|
89
Tbs
|
131.60221
cl
|
90
Tbs
|
133.08088
cl
|
91
Tbs
|
134.55956
cl
|
92
Tbs
|
136.03824
cl
|
93
Tbs
|
137.51691
cl
|
94
Tbs
|
138.99559
cl
|
95
Tbs
|
140.47427
cl
|
96
Tbs
|
141.95294
cl
|
97
Tbs
|
143.43162
cl
|
98
Tbs
|
144.9103
cl
|
99
Tbs
|
146.38897
cl
|
100
Tbs
|
147.86765
cl
|
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