Salt Unit Converter

How to use this calculator

Four inputs. The salt type dropdown is the one that matters most.

Salt type selects the specific salt you’re working with. The density varies significantly between table salt, Diamond Crystal kosher, Morton kosher, fine sea salt, coarse sea salt, and other varieties. Picking the wrong salt type gives you a wrong answer even if everything else is correct.

Amount is how much you have. Type your number. Decimals work: 0.5, 1.5, 2.25 are all valid.

From unit is the unit you’re starting with: teaspoon (tsp), tablespoon (tbsp), gram (g), ounce (oz), or cup.

To unit is what you want. Same options.

Click Convert and the blue result panel shows 4 values: grams, teaspoons, tablespoons, and sodium content in milligrams. That sodium figure is the one that actually connects your kitchen measurement to your daily intake.

Why salt type changes everything

Salt crystals come in different shapes and sizes. Table salt has tiny, dense cubic crystals that pack tightly together. Kosher salt has large, flaky or pyramidal crystals with more air between them. Coarse sea salt has irregular chunks. When you fill a teaspoon, you’re filling it with crystals plus the air trapped between them — and that air fraction varies by salt type.

The difference between Diamond Crystal and Morton kosher salt has derailed more recipe tests than any other single ingredient substitution. Diamond Crystal flakes are thin and hollow, leaving enormous air gaps in a measuring spoon. Morton crystals are denser and more compressed. Recipe developers who write "1 teaspoon kosher salt" are almost always using Diamond Crystal — it's the professional kitchen standard in the US. Home cooks with Morton in the pantry are adding 60% more salt than intended.

This is not a minor rounding issue. A bread recipe specifying 2 teaspoons of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) expects about 5.6g of salt. The same recipe made with Morton delivers 9.6g. A stew recipe calling for 1 tablespoon of kosher salt becomes significantly over-salted when made with table salt instead.

Salt density reference: what each type actually weighs

These are the densities the calculator uses. Every conversion runs through these figures.

Salt type	Density (g/mL)	1 tsp (g)	1 tbsp (g)	1 cup (g)	Notes
Table salt, fine	1.217	6.0	18.0	288.0	Standard iodized table salt
Table salt, coarse	0.960	4.7	14.2	228.0	Larger cubic crystals
Diamond Crystal kosher	0.640	2.8	8.5	136.0	Hollow flake crystals; pro kitchen standard
Morton kosher	0.960	4.7	14.2	228.0	Compressed pyramidal crystals
Fine sea salt	1.170	5.7	17.1	274.0	Similar to fine table salt
Coarse sea salt	0.720	3.5	10.6	170.0	Large irregular crystals
Fleur de sel	0.540	2.6	7.9	126.0	Hand-harvested, very light flakes
Maldon sea salt	0.480	2.3	7.0	113.0	Pyramid flakes, finishing salt
Himalayan pink salt, fine	1.150	5.6	16.8	269.0	Similar density to fine sea salt
Himalayan pink salt, coarse	0.750	3.7	11.0	176.0	Coarser grind
Pickling salt	1.250	6.1	18.4	295.0	Very fine, no additives

Table salt to grams: the complete conversion table

Fine table salt is the most common salt in home kitchens globally. This table covers every measurement from a pinch to a cup.

Table salt (fine)	Grams	Sodium (mg)	Ounces
1/8 tsp (pinch)	0.75	295	0.026
1/4 tsp	1.5	590	0.053
1/2 tsp	3.0	1,179	0.106
3/4 tsp	4.5	1,769	0.159
1 tsp	6.0	2,357	0.212
1.5 tsp	9.0	3,536	0.317
2 tsp	12.0	4,714	0.423
1 tbsp (3 tsp)	18.0	7,072	0.635
1.5 tbsp	27.0	10,607	0.953
2 tbsp	36.0	14,143	1.270
3 tbsp	54.0	21,214	1.905
1/4 cup	72.0	28,286	2.540
1/3 cup	96.0	37,714	3.387
1/2 cup	144.0	56,571	5.079
1 cup	288.0	113,143	10.159

Diamond Crystal kosher salt: the recipe developer’s standard

Diamond Crystal is the default kosher salt in professional test kitchens and in recipe books from Samin Nosrat, Thomas Keller, and most American culinary publications. Its low density makes it forgiving: it’s harder to accidentally over-salt with Diamond Crystal than with table salt or Morton, because you can use larger-looking quantities to achieve the same saltiness.

Diamond Crystal kosher	Grams	Sodium (mg)	Table salt equivalent (tsp)
1/4 tsp	0.7	275	0.12 tsp
1/2 tsp	1.4	550	0.23 tsp
1 tsp	2.8	1,100	0.47 tsp
2 tsp	5.6	2,200	0.93 tsp
1 tbsp	8.5	3,300	1.40 tsp
2 tbsp	17.0	6,600	2.80 tsp
1/4 cup	34.0	13,200	5.67 tsp
1/3 cup	45.3	17,600	7.55 tsp
1/2 cup	68.0	26,400	11.33 tsp
1 cup	136.0	52,800	22.67 tsp

The “table salt equivalent” column shows how much table salt delivers the same sodium load. 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal = 1.40 teaspoons of table salt. When substituting, use this column rather than simply using equal volumes.

Morton kosher salt: the grocery store default

Morton kosher is what most home cooks in the US have in the pantry because it’s the most widely distributed brand. Its compressed pyramidal crystals are almost twice as dense as Diamond Crystal, which means recipes written for Diamond Crystal will be dramatically over-salted if you use equal volumes of Morton.

Morton kosher	Grams	Sodium (mg)	Diamond Crystal equivalent (tsp)	Table salt equivalent (tsp)
1/4 tsp	1.2	472	0.43 tsp DC	0.20 tsp
1/2 tsp	2.4	944	0.86 tsp DC	0.40 tsp
1 tsp	4.7	1,887	1.71 tsp DC	0.79 tsp
2 tsp	9.5	3,774	3.43 tsp DC	1.58 tsp
1 tbsp	14.2	5,661	5.14 tsp DC	2.37 tsp
2 tbsp	28.4	11,322	10.29 tsp DC	4.73 tsp
1/4 cup	57.0	22,400	20.36 tsp DC	9.50 tsp
1/2 cup	114.0	44,800	40.71 tsp DC	19.00 tsp
1 cup	228.0	89,600	81.43 tsp DC	38.00 tsp

Salt substitution guide: converting between salt types

This is the table you need when a recipe specifies one salt type and you have another. All equivalencies are based on matching sodium content, not volume.

If recipe says	And you have	Use this amount instead
1 tsp Diamond Crystal	Table salt	1/2 tsp
1 tsp Diamond Crystal	Morton kosher	1/2 + 1/8 tsp
1 tsp Diamond Crystal	Fine sea salt	1/2 tsp
1 tsp Morton kosher	Table salt	3/4 tsp
1 tsp Morton kosher	Diamond Crystal	1 + 2/3 tsp
1 tsp Morton kosher	Fine sea salt	3/4 tsp
1 tsp table salt	Diamond Crystal	2 tsp
1 tsp table salt	Morton kosher	1 + 1/4 tsp
1 tsp table salt	Fine sea salt	1 tsp
1 tbsp Diamond Crystal	Table salt	1/2 tbsp
1 tbsp Diamond Crystal	Morton kosher	1.7 tsp
1 tbsp Morton kosher	Diamond Crystal	1 tbsp + 2 tsp
1 tbsp table salt	Diamond Crystal	2 tbsp
1 tbsp table salt	Morton kosher	1 tbsp + 3/4 tsp

Sodium content by salt type: what you’re actually consuming

Sodium is what matters nutritionally, and all common salts are approximately 38–40% sodium by weight (sodium chloride is NaCl; sodium is 39.3% of the molecular weight). The per-teaspoon sodium figures differ between salt types only because the teaspoon holds different weights of each salt.

Salt type	Grams per tsp	Sodium per tsp (mg)	% of 2,300 mg daily limit
Pickling salt	6.1	2,400	104%
Table salt, fine	6.0	2,357	102%
Fine sea salt	5.7	2,240	97%
Himalayan pink, fine	5.6	2,200	96%
Table salt, coarse	4.7	1,847	80%
Morton kosher	4.7	1,847	80%
Himalayan pink, coarse	3.7	1,454	63%
Coarse sea salt	3.5	1,375	60%
Diamond Crystal kosher	2.8	1,100	48%
Fleur de sel	2.6	1,022	44%
Maldon sea salt	2.3	904	39%

Maldon and fleur de sel are finishing salts: sprinkled on food at the table, not cooked in. Their low teaspoon weight makes them look like lower-sodium options, but it's the same sodium per gram as table salt. You just physically use less of them because they're expensive and you apply them delicately. If you swapped Maldon for table salt teaspoon for teaspoon in cooking, the sodium content of your food would double.

Grams to teaspoons: converting weight measurements to volume

When a recipe or nutrition label gives grams and you need teaspoons, run this conversion per salt type. The results differ enough between types to matter.

Grams of salt	Table salt (tsp)	Diamond Crystal (tsp)	Morton kosher (tsp)	Fine sea salt (tsp)
1g	0.17	0.36	0.21	0.18
2g	0.33	0.71	0.43	0.35
3g	0.50	1.07	0.64	0.53
4g	0.67	1.43	0.85	0.70
5g	0.83	1.79	1.06	0.88
6g	1.00	2.14	1.28	1.05
8g	1.33	2.86	1.70	1.40
10g	1.67	3.57	2.13	1.75
12g	2.00	4.29	2.55	2.11
15g	2.50	5.36	3.19	2.63
18g	3.00	6.43	3.83	3.16
20g	3.33	7.14	4.26	3.51
24g	4.00	8.57	5.11	4.21
30g	5.00	10.71	6.38	5.26

Sodium tracking: calculating the salt in a recipe

The calculator gives sodium in milligrams for each conversion. To find the total sodium in a dish, sum the sodium from each salt addition separately. Then divide by the number of servings to find per-serving sodium.

Coarse salt conversions: sea salt, fleur de sel, Maldon

Coarse finishing salts have the lowest densities and are almost always used by sprinkling rather than measuring precisely. But when a recipe calls for them in specific quantities, the conversion matters.

Coarse sea salt	Grams	Sodium (mg)	Fine sea salt equivalent
1/4 tsp	0.88	344	0.22 tsp
1/2 tsp	1.75	688	0.44 tsp
1 tsp	3.50	1,375	0.88 tsp
1 tbsp	10.6	4,125	2.63 tsp
1/4 cup	42.5	16,688	10.6 tsp
1/2 cup	85.0	33,375	21.3 tsp
1 cup	170.0	66,750	42.5 tsp

Maldon sea salt (flakes)	Grams	Sodium (mg)	Table salt equivalent
1/4 tsp	0.575	226	0.096 tsp
1/2 tsp	1.15	451	0.192 tsp
1 tsp	2.3	904	0.383 tsp
1 tbsp	7.0	2,750	1.17 tsp
1/4 cup	28.0	11,000	4.67 tsp
1/2 cup	56.5	22,196	9.42 tsp
1 cup	113.0	44,392	18.8 tsp

Maldon is the lightest common cooking salt by volume. 1 cup of Maldon flakes weighs only 113g. The same cup of fine table salt weighs 288g. For recipes using Maldon as a cooking ingredient rather than a finishing touch, the substitution math is critical.

Common mistakes when converting salt

Using any kosher salt interchangeably. The two most common US kosher salts have completely different densities. Recipes from Bon Appétit, NYT Cooking, and most American cookbooks written after 2000 use Diamond Crystal unless specified. If the recipe says “kosher salt” without a brand, use Diamond Crystal conversion values and taste-adjust.

Substituting table salt for kosher salt in equal volume. Table salt is twice as salty per teaspoon as Diamond Crystal. A brine calling for 1/2 cup of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) expects 68g of salt. 1/2 cup of table salt delivers 144g. That’s more than double the salt, and in a brine you cannot fix it by rinsing.

Measuring iodized salt in recipes that specify non-iodized. Iodine gives salt a slightly metallic note at high concentrations. Most serious baking and fermentation recipes specify non-iodized or sea salt to avoid this. The density is identical — the conversion numbers are the same — but the flavor differs.

Assuming sea salt is healthier because it’s “natural.” Sea salt and table salt have the same sodium content per gram. Himalayan pink salt, grey salt, Maldon, and fleur de sel all deliver the same amount of sodium per gram as iodized table salt. The trace minerals in unrefined sea salts are present in quantities too small to have meaningful nutritional impact. The health difference, if any, is that sea salts taste more interesting, so cooks may use less to achieve the same perceived saltiness.

Quick-reference: the conversions you’ll use most

What you need	Answer
1 tsp table salt in grams	6g
1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher in grams	2.8g
1 tsp Morton kosher in grams	4.7g
1 tsp fine sea salt in grams	5.7g
1 tbsp table salt in grams	18g
1 tbsp Diamond Crystal in grams	8.5g
1 tbsp Morton kosher in grams	14.2g
10g table salt in teaspoons	1.67 tsp
10g Diamond Crystal in teaspoons	3.57 tsp
1 tsp table salt → Diamond Crystal	2 tsp
1 tsp table salt → Morton kosher	1.25 tsp
1 tsp Diamond Crystal → table salt	0.5 tsp
1 tsp Morton kosher → Diamond Crystal	1.7 tsp
1 tsp Diamond Crystal → Morton kosher	0.6 tsp
Sodium in 1 tsp table salt	2,357 mg
Sodium in 1 tsp Diamond Crystal	1,100 mg
Sodium in 1 tsp Morton kosher	1,847 mg
How much salt is 2,300 mg sodium	~1 tsp table salt
How much Diamond Crystal is 2,300 mg sodium	~2.1 tsp