In the US and parts of Canada, a tablespoon is the largest type of spoon used for eating from a bowl. In the UK, Europe and most Commonwealth countries, a tablespoon is a type of large spoon usually used for serving; a spoon larger than a teaspoon used for eating would normally be called a dessert spoon or the soup spoon. A tablespoonful, nominally the capacity of one tablespoon, is commonly used as a measure of volume in cooking. It is abbreviated informally as T, tb, tbs, tbsp, tblsp, or tblspn. The capacity of actual spoons is not defined by law or custom, and is subject to considerable variation. In the US one tablespoonful is approximately 15 mL. In Australia one tablespoon (measurement unit) is 20 mL.