Butter conversion chart showing 1 stick of butter equals 8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup, 4 ounces, and 1/4 pound. Visual kitchen reference guide for cooking and baking measurements.

Butter Conversion Chart: Tablespoons, Sticks, Cups & Pounds

Quick Butter Conversion Answers

1 U.S. stick of butter = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup = 4 ounces = 1/4 pound = about 113.4 grams.

  • Half a stick: 4 tablespoons, 1/4 cup, or 2 ounces.
  • 1 cup: 2 sticks or 16 tablespoons.
  • 1 pound: 4 sticks, 2 cups, or 32 tablespoons.
  • 1 tablespoon: 3 teaspoons or about 14.2 grams.

These conversions use U.S. measures for regular solid butter, salted or unsalted. Ounces mean weight, not fluid ounces. Gram values are rounded; whipped butter and spreadable blends may measure differently.

Complete Butter Conversion Chart

On a phone, swipe the chart sideways to see every column.

Tablespoons Cups U.S. Sticks Pounds Ounces (weight) Grams (approx.)
1 tbsp 1/16 cup 1/8 stick 1/32 lb 0.5 oz 14.2g
2 tbsp 1/8 cup 1/4 stick 1/16 lb 1 oz 28.3g
3 tbsp 3/16 cup 3/8 stick 3/32 lb 1.5 oz 42.5g
4 tbsp 1/4 cup 1/2 stick 1/8 lb 2 oz 56.7g
5 tbsp 5/16 cup 5/8 stick 5/32 lb 2.5 oz 70.9g
6 tbsp 3/8 cup 3/4 stick 3/16 lb 3 oz 85.0g
7 tbsp 7/16 cup 7/8 stick 7/32 lb 3.5 oz 99.2g
8 tbsp 1/2 cup 1 stick 1/4 lb 4 oz 113.4g
12 tbsp 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks 3/8 lb 6 oz 170.1g
16 tbsp 1 cup 2 sticks 1/2 lb 8 oz 226.8g
24 tbsp 1 1/2 cups 3 sticks 3/4 lb 12 oz 340.2g
32 tbsp 2 cups 4 sticks 1 lb 16 oz 453.6g

View the Saveable Butter Conversion Guide

Eastern vs. Western Butter Sticks

Same amount, different shape. A standard full Eastern (Elgin) stick is long and narrow; a Western stick is shorter and wider. Both weigh 4 ounces and equal 8 tablespoons. Check the package weight if you are unsure whether you have a full stick, half stick, or block.

Butter Stick & Block Dimensions

The examples in our illustrated loading guide measure:

  • Eastern stick: 4.8 × 1.2 × 1.2 inches.
  • Western stick: 3.2 × 1.5 × 1.5 inches.
  • European block: 4.2 × 2.5 × 1.4 inches.

These are the dimensions of the illustrated examples, not universal package sizes. Use the package weight for conversions.

European Butter Blocks

European-style butter comes in several package weights. A 250 g block is approximately 2.2 U.S. sticks, 17.6 tablespoons, 1.1 U.S. cups, or 8.8 ounces. Check the label rather than assuming every block is 250 g.

Measure Butter Accurately

  • For grams: use a kitchen scale. Weighing also avoids differences between U.S. and international cup or tablespoon sizes.
  • For sticks and tablespoons: use the markings on the wrapper. For teaspoons, multiply tablespoons by 3.
  • For baking: follow the recipe's directions for cold, softened, or melted butter; the conversion does not change the preparation it needs.
Conversion Method, Rounding & Sources

Calculations use 1 pound = 453.59237 grams, 16 ounces, 4 U.S. sticks, 2 cups, or 32 tablespoons. Convert from grams by dividing by 113.3980925 for sticks, 14.1747615625 for tablespoons, or 226.796185 for cups.

The chart rounds grams to one decimal place. The 250 g example rounds each result independently to one decimal place, so reversing a rounded number may differ slightly. The Butter Conversion Calculator calculates from the unrounded conversion factors.

References: Land O'Lakes butter measurements and NIST's pound-to-kilogram definition.

A Better Way to Use Your Butter

Butter Crayon holds half a standard U.S. stick and applies butter directly to toast, corn, and pans. Half an Eastern stick loads directly; use the included Butter Cutter™ to trim Western sticks or European blocks as needed. See How to Load It.

For hot pans: keep at least 1/4 inch of butter inside to protect the push block. The push block must not touch hot surfaces.

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