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

Butter Conversion Chart: Tablespoons, Sticks, Cups, Pounds & Grams

Whether you're baking cookies, buttering toast, or making family favorite recipes, butter measurements can get confusing fast. How many tablespoons are in a stick of butter? How many sticks make a pound? And what’s the difference between Eastern and Western butter sticks?

This complete butter conversion chart makes it easy to convert tablespoons, sticks, cups, ounces, pounds, and grams instantly.


Quick Butter Conversion Answers

  • 1 stick of butter = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup = 4 ounces = 1/4 pound
  • 4 tablespoons of butter = 1/2 stick = 1/4 cup = 2 ounces
  • 1 pound of butter = 4 sticks = 32 tablespoons = 2 cups
  • 1 tablespoon of butter = about 14.2 grams

Jump to a Section

How Many Tablespoons Are in a Stick of Butter?

Butter conversion infographic showing that 1 stick of butter equals 8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup, 4 ounces, and 1/4 pound. Visual kitchen measurement guide with illustrations of a butter stick, measuring spoon, measuring cup, kitchen scale, and weight.

There are 8 tablespoons in 1 U.S. stick of butter.

That’s true whether you’re using:

  • Eastern-style butter sticks
  • Western-style butter sticks
  • Salted butter
  • Unsalted butter

The shape may change, but the amount stays the same.

Eastern vs. Western Butter Sticks

Comparison infographic of Eastern (Elgin) and Western butter sticks showing that both contain the same amount of butter—8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup, 4 ounces, and 1/4 pound—but differ in shape. Eastern sticks are long and narrow, while Western sticks are short and wide.

If you've ever opened a package of butter while traveling or following a recipe from another region, you may have noticed that butter sticks don’t always look the same.

Butter Type Common Shape Amount
Eastern stick / Elgin stick Long and narrow 8 tbsp / 4 oz / 1/4 lb
Western stick Shorter and wider 8 tbsp / 4 oz / 1/4 lb
European-style block Often sold as a 250g block About 17.6 tbsp / about 2.2 U.S. sticks

Eastern and Western butter sticks contain the exact same amount of butter. Only the shape is different.

European Butter Blocks

European butter block conversion infographic showing how a 250-gram butter block converts to U.S. measurements: approximately 2.2 sticks, 17.6 tablespoons, 1.1 cups, and 8.8 ounces. Includes a visual reference for cooking and baking conversions.

European-style butter is commonly sold in 250g blocks rather than U.S. sticks.

A 250g butter block equals approximately:

  • 17.6 tablespoons
  • 2.2 U.S. sticks
  • 8.8 ounces

This can make recipe conversions frustrating when switching between American and European recipes.

Why Butter Shape Matters

Butter measurements are universal. Butter shapes are not.

The Butter Crayon takes 1/2 of a standard U.S. butter stick, and the Butter Cutter is used to make any size or brand of butter fit perfectly.

Using the included Butter Cutter™, you can easily load:

  • Eastern butter sticks
  • Western butter sticks
  • European butter blocks

Once loaded, Butter Crayon lets you apply butter directly to:

  • Toast
  • Corn on the cob
  • Hot pans
  • Baking dishes
  • Griddles
  • Vegetables
  • Waffles and pancakes

No messy knives. No torn bread. Just a cleaner, easier way to butter.

Complete Butter Conversion Chart

Tablespoons Cups U.S. Sticks Pounds Ounces Grams
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

Common Butter Conversion Questions

Butter conversion FAQ graphic showing 4 sticks = 1 pound, 1/2 stick = 4 tablespoons, and 1 stick = 1/2 cup.

How many tablespoons are in half a stick of butter?

Half a stick of butter equals 4 tablespoons, 1/4 cup, or 2 ounces.

How many sticks of butter are in a pound?

There are 4 sticks of butter in 1 pound.

How many cups are in a stick of butter?

1 stick of butter equals 1/2 cup.

How many tablespoons are in a cup of butter?

1 cup of butter equals 16 tablespoons, or 2 sticks.

How many grams are in a tablespoon of butter?

1 tablespoon of butter equals approximately 14.2 grams.

Butter Measurement Tips for Cooking & Baking

For Baking

Precise measurements matter most in baking. Use tablespoon markings on butter wrappers, a kitchen scale for gram measurements, and room-temperature butter when recipes specify it.

For Cooking

Cooking is usually more forgiving. Butter can often be added by feel, especially for toast, grilled sandwiches, pancakes, sautéing vegetables, or buttering pans.

That’s where tools like Butter Crayon help make butter application faster, cleaner, and more consistent.

Save or Bookmark This Butter Conversion Chart

This page is designed to be a quick reference whenever you need to convert tablespoons to sticks, sticks to cups, butter to grams, or pounds to tablespoons.

Bookmark it for future baking, cooking, and meal prep.

Butter conversion guide infographic with charts for converting butter sticks to tablespoons, teaspoons, grams, pounds, and cups. Includes baking versus cooking measurement tips, Eastern and Western butter stick comparison, European butter block conversions, and a printable kitchen reference guide.

The Better Way to Butter

Knowing butter measurements is useful. Applying butter cleanly and evenly is even better.

Shop Butter Crayon — the heat-safe butter applicator designed for toast, pans, baking dishes, corn on the cob, and more.

Back to blog