What Is Half of ⅓ Cup?
⅙ cup — which measures out as 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons
Half of ⅓ cup is ⅙ cup — 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.
This is why the question gets asked. ⅙ cup is a real amount but no standard cup set has a ⅙ scoop, so it has to be built out of smaller cups and spoons: 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.
In teaspoons — the unit everything below a cup divides into cleanly — ⅓ cup is 16 teaspoons, so half of it is 8 teaspoons. That is the arithmetic; everything below is that number written a different way.
Half of ⅓ cup, in every unit
| Unit | Half of ⅓ cup |
|---|---|
| Cups | ⅙ |
| Tablespoons | 2⅔ |
| Teaspoons | 8 |
| US fluid ounces | 1⅓ |
| Millilitres | 39.4 ml |
| Measured out | 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons |
Half of ⅓ cup in grams
Grams depend on what is in the cup, because a cup measures space and grams measure weight. These are the four ingredients people most often halve.
| Ingredient | Grams per US cup | Half of ⅓ cup |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 125 g | 20.8 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 33.3 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 37.8 g |
| Water | 237 g | 39.5 g |
Weighing is the reliable way to halve an awkward measure: there is no ⅙ scoop, but every scale does halves.
A third, and double
Halving is the common case, but the same measure gets scaled other ways. A third of ⅓ cup is 1 tablespoon plus 2⅓ teaspoons; double is ½ cup, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.
| Scale | Amount | Measured out |
|---|---|---|
| A third | 1/9 | 1 tablespoon plus 2⅓ teaspoons |
| Half | ⅙ | 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons |
| As written | ⅓ | ¼ cup, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon |
| Double | ⅔ | ½ cup, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons |
Halving the rest of the recipe
Once one measure is halved the rest of the list still has to be. This is every common measure and what half of it is, built from measures a kitchen actually has.
| Measure | Half | Measured out |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | ½ | ½ cup |
| ¾ cup | ⅜ | ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons |
| ⅔ cup | ⅓ | ¼ cup, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon |
| ½ cup | ¼ | ¼ cup |
| ⅓ cup | ⅙ | 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons |
| ¼ cup | ⅛ | 2 tablespoons |
| ⅛ cup | ¹⁄₁₆ | 1 tablespoon |
| 1 tablespoon | 1/32 | 1½ teaspoons |
| 1 teaspoon | ½ | ½ teaspoon |
| ½ teaspoon | ¼ | ¼ teaspoon |
| ¼ teaspoon | ⅛ | ⅛ teaspoon |
The second column is in cups for anything a tablespoon or larger and in teaspoons below that, because that is the unit the answer is usable in.
Frequently asked questions
What is half of ⅓ cup?
Half of ⅓ cup is ⅙ cup, which measures out as 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. In teaspoons it is 8 teaspoons.
How many tablespoons is half of ⅓ cup?
2⅔ tablespoons. A US tablespoon is 3 teaspoons and a cup is 16 tablespoons, which is where the number comes from.
Why is there no ⅙ cup measure?
Because a standard set is built on halves and thirds of a cup — ¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ¾ and 1 — and ⅙ is not one of them. Measure it as 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, or weigh it.
Is half of ⅓ cup the same in the UK?
The fraction is, the volume is not. Half of ⅓ cup is ⅙ cup wherever you are, but a metric cup is 250 ml against the US cup's 236.6 ml, so the same fraction holds about 5.7% more.
What is half of ⅓ cup in grams?
It depends on the ingredient: 20.8 g of all-purpose flour, 33.3 g of granulated sugar, 37.8 g of butter or 39.5 g of water.