Editing Cooking weights and measures (section)

==Metric measures==
In most of the world, recipes use the [[metric system]] of units&mdash;[[litre]]s (L) and [[millilitre]]s (mL), [[gram]]s (g) and [[kilogram]]s (kg), and [[degrees Celsius]] (°C). The official spelling ''litre'' is used in most English-speaking nations; the notable exception is the United States where the spelling ''liter'' is preferred.

The United States measures weight in pounds ([[avoirdupois]]), while recipes in the UK tend to include both imperial and metric measures, following the advice of the [[Guild of Food Writers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gfw.co.uk/metrication.cfm |title=Metrication |publisher=[[Guild of Food Writers]] |access-date=5 April 2013 |year=2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420160315/http://www.gfw.co.uk/metrication.cfm |archive-date=20 April 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The United States also uses volume measures based on cooking utensils and pre-metric measures. The actual values frequently deviate from the utensils on which they were based, and there is little consistency from one country to another.

<!-- NOTE -- THIS IS NOT A CONVERSION TABLE, It is a table showing how cooking volume units are defined in various countries. For example "dessert spoon" is not a defined measurement in the United States. -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Common volume measures in millilitres<br>(English-speaking countries)
|-
! Measure
!title="Australia"| [[Australia|AU]]
!title="New Zealand"| [[New Zealand|NZ]]
! title="United Kingdom" | [[United Kingdom|UK]] 
! title="Canada" | [[Canada|CA]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Branch|first=Legislative Services|date=2019-06-21|title=Consolidated federal laws of Canada, Weights and Measures Act|url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/w-6/page-10.html|access-date=2020-12-05|website=laws-lois.justice.gc.ca|archive-date=2020-09-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928023316/https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/W-6/page-10.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
![[Canadian Food Inspection Agency|CFIA]] (CA)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Canadian Food Inspection Agency |date=2022-07-06 |title=Net quantity on food labels |url=https://inspection.canada.ca/food-labels/labelling/industry/net-quantity/eng/1625703526033/1625703680279 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=inspection.canada.ca}}</ref>
!title="Food and Drug Administration (United States)"| [[Food and Drug Administration|FDA]] (US)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/aprqtr/21cfr101.9.htm |title=Food and Drugs: FDA Food Labeling |date=April 1, 2004 |publisher=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]]}}<br>For [[Nutrition facts label]]ing "a teaspoon means 5 millilitres (mL), a tablespoon means 15&nbsp;mL, a cup means 240&nbsp;mL, 1&nbsp;fl&nbsp;oz means 30&nbsp;mL, and 1&nbsp;oz in weight means 28&nbsp;g."</ref>
!title="United States"| US
|-
! [[Teaspoon]] 
| colspan="6" | {{0|000}}5*{{0|.00}}
| {{0|000}}≈ 4.93
|-
! [[Dessertspoon]]  
| 10
|—
|—
|—
|{{0|0}}—
| {{0|0}}—
| {{0|000}}≈ 9.86
|-
! [[Tablespoon]] 
| {{0|0}}20
| colspan="5" |15*
| {{0|00}}≈ 14.79
|-
! [[Fluid ounce]] 
|colspan="4"| {{0|00}}≈ 28.41
|{{0|0}}—
| {{0|0}}30
| {{0|00}}≈ 29.57
|-
! [[Cup (volume)|Cup]] 
| colspan="2" align="center" | 250
|≈ 170.48
| ≈ 227.31<sup>‡</sup> 
|250
| 240
| {{0|0}}≈ 236.59 
|-
! [[Pint]] 
| 570{{sup|†}}
| colspan="3" |≈ 568.26
|{{0|0}}—
| —
| {{0|0}}≈ 473.18
|-
! [[Quart]] 
|colspan="4"| ≈ 1136.52
|{{0|0}}—
| —
| {{0|0}}≈ 946.35 
|-
! [[Gallon]] 
|colspan="4"| ≈ 4546.09
|{{0|0}}—
| —
| ≈ 3785.41
|}
:{{sup|†}} In [[South Australia]], a "pint" of beer is traditionally 425&nbsp;mL, while most other states have [[Beer in Australia#Beer glasses|metricated this value]] to 570&nbsp;mL.
:<sup>‡</sup> In Canada, a cup was historically 8 imperial fluid ounces (227&nbsp;mL) but could also refer to 10 imperial fl oz (284&nbsp;mL), as in Britain, and even a metric cup of 250&nbsp;mL. Serving sizes on [[Nutrition facts label|nutrition labelling]] on food packages in Canada employ the metric cup of 250&nbsp;mL, with nutrition labelling in the US using a cup of 240&nbsp;mL, based on the US customary cup.<ref name=":1" />
:<nowiki>*</nowiki> In the UK, teaspoons and tablespoons are formally {{sfrac|1|160}} and {{sfrac|1|40}} of an imperial pint (3.55&nbsp;mL and 14.21&nbsp;mL), respectively. In Canada, a teaspoon is historically {{frac|1|6}} imperial fluid ounce (4.74&nbsp;mL) and a tablespoon is {{1/2}} imperial fl oz (14.21&nbsp;mL). In both Britain and Canada, cooking utensils commonly come in 5&nbsp;mL for teaspoons and 15&nbsp;mL for tablespoons, hence why it is labelled as that on the chart.

The volume measures here are for comparison only. See below for the definition of [[Gallon]] for more details.

In addition, the "cook's cup" above is not the same as a "coffee cup", which can vary anywhere from {{convert|100|to|200|mL|impoz usoz|abbr=on}}, or even smaller for espresso.

In Australia, since 1970, metric utensil units have been standardized by law, and imperial measures no longer have legal status. However, it is wise to measure the actual volume of the utensil measures, particularly the 'Australian tablespoon' (see above), since many are imported from other countries with different values. Dessertspoons are standardized as part of the metric system at 10&nbsp;mL, though they are not normally used in contemporary recipes. Australia is the only metricated country with a metric tablespoon of 20&nbsp;mL, unlike other countries that metricated, which have a 15&nbsp;mL metric tablespoon.

In Europe, older recipes frequently refer to "pounds" (e.g. {{lang|de|Pfund}} in German, {{lang|nl|pond}} in Dutch, {{lang|fr|livre}} in French). In each case, the unit refers to 500&nbsp;g, about 10% more than an avoirdupois pound (454&nbsp;g). Dutch recipes may also use the {{lang|nl|ons}}, which is 100&nbsp;g.