Butter Converter

Butter measurement differs dramatically between UK and US recipes. UK recipes universally specify butter by weight in grams. US recipes use sticks, cups, and tablespoons — units that mean nothing to anyone who didn't grow up measuring butter that way. One US stick of butter is 113g; one cup is 227g (two sticks). These conversions are simple once you know them, but endlessly confusing without a reference.

The tablespoon measurement for butter (14g per tablespoon) is commonly used in US recipes for small additions — a tablespoon of butter to finish a sauce, two tablespoons stirred into mashed potatoes. UK bakers tend to use a knife to cut pieces directly from a block, but the tablespoon measurement translates cleanly: 14g per tablespoon, 28g per two tablespoons (2 tbsp = ⅛ stick).

Ounces are occasionally used in older UK recipes and persist in Irish and American baking. One ounce of butter is 28.35g — very close to two tablespoons. A 4oz block of butter is approximately one stick (113g). The ounce measurement is less common in modern UK recipes but useful to know when using vintage cookbooks.

For baking, precision matters more with butter than with most ingredients. Too much butter in a cake makes it greasy and dense; too little leaves it dry. A kitchen scale is the most reliable tool for butter measurement — cutting to a specific weight from a block takes seconds and eliminates guesswork entirely. This converter lets you find that weight regardless of which unit your recipe uses.