Tablet to Liquid Equivalent Calculator

Medicine labels count 1 teaspoon as 5 mL, the figure the American Academy of Pediatrics uses. The teaspoon number in the result is only a cross-check. A 2010 study measured 71 teaspoons from 25 homes in Greece and found they held anywhere from 2.5 to 7.3 mL, which is why the AAP says not to use kitchen spoons for medicine. Use the syringe or cup that comes with the bottle.

Rounding gives an amount that's easier to measure, and the result shows how many mg the rounded amount is off by. For small doses that gap can be large. 30 mg from a 250 mg/5 mL syrup is 0.6 mL, which rounds to 0.5 mL, or 25 mg. Syringes are marked differently (Calpol's has 2.5 mL and 5 mL marks), so check the exact mL against the device that came with the medicine and ask a pharmacist if it falls between markings.

Yes. If you need 500 mg and the syrup is 250 mg/5 mL, you need (500 × 5) ÷ 250 = 10 mL = 2 teaspoons. The tool handles the conversion automatically.

Don't substitute without advice. The NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service lists names that include MR, SR, XL or LA as signs of a modified-release product. A standard syrup releases its dose straight away, so swapping one for the other changes how the medicine works. The prescriber or pharmacist can suggest an immediate-release alternative if the patient can't swallow the tablet.