Four ounces of sugar = 9 Tbsp. Four ounces of flour = 14.5 Tbsp. Four ounces or butter = 8 Tbsp. If the recipe were referring to volume, it would have listed the ingredient in cups, tablespoons, teaspoons or fluid ounces. Here is how it works (some of the answers were on the right track): There are two types of ounces: fluid ounces and ounces.