Imperial teaspoon to US teaspoon
imp tsp
tsp
Conversion History
| Conversion | Reuse | Delete |
|---|---|---|
| No conversion history to show. | ||
Quick Reference Table (Imperial teaspoon to US teaspoon)
| Imperial teaspoon (imp tsp) | US teaspoon (tsp) |
|---|---|
| 0.25 | 0.30023748138122305605 |
| 0.5 | 0.60047496276244611209 |
| 1 | 1.20094992552489222418 |
| 2 | 2.40189985104978444836 |
| 3 | 3.60284977657467667255 |
| 6 | 7.20569955314935334509 |
About Imperial teaspoon (imp tsp)
The imperial teaspoon is a unit of volume equal to approximately 5.919 milliliters, one third of an imperial tablespoon. It is larger than the US teaspoon (4.929 mL) and the metric teaspoon (5 mL). It appears in pre-metrication British and Commonwealth recipes. In medicine and pharmacology, both the UK and US have standardized on the 5 mL metric teaspoon for dosing, replacing all customary teaspoon sizes. Modern UK recipes do not use the imperial teaspoon.
Pre-metrication British recipes called for teaspoons of approximately 5.92 mL. A standard UK medicine teaspoon is now 5 mL (metric).
About US teaspoon (tsp)
The US teaspoon (tsp) is a unit of culinary volume equal to approximately 4.929 milliliters, one third of a US tablespoon. It is one of the smallest standard US customary volume units, used in cooking, baking, and medicine for small ingredient quantities. The US teaspoon differs from the metric teaspoon (exactly 5 mL) and the imperial teaspoon (about 5.92 mL). In medicine, 5 mL is the standardized dosing teaspoon.
A standard dose of liquid children's medicine is one 5 mL teaspoon. A recipe calling for 1 tsp of vanilla extract uses about 4.93 mL.
Imperial teaspoon – Frequently Asked Questions
How many milliliters is an imperial teaspoon?
One imperial teaspoon equals approximately 5.919 mL — slightly larger than the US teaspoon (4.929 mL) and the metric teaspoon (5 mL).
What is the difference between an imperial and a metric teaspoon?
An imperial teaspoon is approximately 5.92 mL; a metric teaspoon is exactly 5 mL. The metric teaspoon is now standard in UK cooking, medicine, and pharmacology.
Is the imperial teaspoon used today?
The imperial teaspoon is obsolete in modern UK, Australian, and Canadian cooking, which all use the 5 mL metric teaspoon. It may appear in cookbooks published before the 1970s metrication period.
Why is a "pinch" of salt not as vague as it sounds?
A culinary pinch — the amount you can hold between thumb and forefinger — is roughly 0.3–0.5 mL, or about 1/16 of a teaspoon. Professional recipe developers have measured this and found surprising consistency across people: the human fingertip geometry constrains how much fine powder you can grip. A "dash" (liquid) is about 0.6 mL, and a "smidgen" is half a pinch (~0.15 mL). These folksy terms survive in recipes because they map to real, repeatable volumes — within the tolerance that salt and spice measurements actually require.
Why did the UK standardize on 5 mL for medicine teaspoons?
The WHO recommended the 5 mL metric teaspoon for medication dosing in the 1970s to eliminate ambiguity between imperial (5.92 mL), US (4.93 mL), and other teaspoon sizes. A calibrated 5 mL oral syringe is now the recommended tool for all liquid medicines.
US teaspoon – Frequently Asked Questions
How many milliliters is a US teaspoon?
One US teaspoon equals approximately 4.929 mL, typically rounded to 5 mL in medicine and 4.93 mL in precise culinary conversions. The metric teaspoon used in Australia and Canada is exactly 5 mL.
What is the difference between a US teaspoon and an imperial teaspoon?
A US teaspoon is about 4.93 mL; an imperial (UK) teaspoon is about 5.92 mL — approximately 20% larger. This difference can affect recipes crossing US and UK sources, particularly for spices and leavening agents.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
In the US system, 3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon (3 × 4.929 mL = 14.787 mL). The metric equivalent is the same ratio: 3 × 5 mL = 15 mL tablespoon.
Is a medicine teaspoon the same as a cooking teaspoon?
Not exactly. Medicine dosing uses a standardized 5 mL teaspoon, while the US cooking teaspoon is about 4.93 mL. For medication accuracy, always use a calibrated oral syringe rather than a kitchen teaspoon, which can vary from 3 to 7 mL.
How many US teaspoons are in a cup?
There are 48 US teaspoons in one US cup: 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons.