In the U.S. I encounter it used by businesses that sell and rent knives, forks, etc., but I rarely hear it used outside the context of buying and renting. Ikea

In the U.S. I encounter it used by businesses that sell and rent knives, forks, etc., but I rarely hear it used outside the context of buying and renting. Ikea has a "flatware" category on their web site[1], for example, and our biggest local rental company[2] does as well, but I've never heard anybody at a restaurant or a house party ask where to find the flatware. In those contexts we use the word "utensils". [1] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/eating/18865/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/ea... [2] https://premiereeventsonline.com/product-category/flatware/ https://premiereeventsonline.com/product-category/flatware/