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Cooking measurement abbreviations
The two that cause mistakes: a small t (or tsp) is a teaspoon and a capital T (or Tbsp) is a tablespoon, three times bigger. oz is weight, fl oz is volume.
| Abbreviation | Means | Size |
|---|---|---|
| tsp, t, ts | teaspoon | 4.93 ml |
| tbsp, T, tbs, tbl | tablespoon | 3 tsp, 14.79 ml |
| c, C | cup | 16 tbsp, 236.6 ml |
| fl oz | fluid ounce | 2 tbsp, 29.6 ml |
| oz | ounce (weight) | 28.35 g |
| lb, # | pound | 16 oz, 453.6 g |
| pt | pint | 2 cups |
| qt | quart | 4 cups |
| gal | gallon | 16 cups |
| g, gr | gram | |
| kg | kilogram | 1,000 g |
| ml, mL | milliliter | |
| l, L | liter | 1,000 ml |
| pkg | package | |
| doz | dozen | 12 |
| pinch | about ⅛ tsp | not exact |
| dash | ⅛ to ¼ tsp | not exact |
| °F / °C | degrees Fahrenheit / Celsius | oven temperature |
When abbreviations are ambiguous
Handwritten recipes often use "t" for both spoons. If a quantity of salt or baking soda looks large, it is probably teaspoons. "c" usually means a cup, but in older British recipes "C" can mean Celsius. "oz" next to a liquid usually means fluid ounces; next to cheese, chocolate or flour it means weight.