Cake Pan Size Chart: Diameter, Volume & Servings 2026

The cake pan size chart

The table below covers the usual round cake pans, 2 inches deep, with the area, the full volume, the batter to fill 2/3 and the servings for each size. The 9-inch row is the default — the calculator opens on it. Every cell is worked out from the stated rules, never hand-typed: area = π × (diameter/2)²; full volume in cups = area × 2 in ÷ 14.4375 cu in per cup; batter = full volume × 2/3, computed from the unrounded volume; servings = area × 0.25, rounded to the nearest whole serving. Data sources: published pan-volume tables at recipeportions.com, cakepaperparty.com and thecakegirls.com — the table values are computed from the pan geometry, and the sources agree with the rounded whole-cup volumes (4 / 7 / 9 / 11 / 16 cups for 6 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 12-inch rounds).

Square and rectangular pans

The same rules, with area = length × width. A square pan holds more than a round pan of the same width — a 9-inch square holds 11.22 cups against 8.81 cups for the 9-inch round, so a recipe written for a round pan will not fill a square pan of the same width to the same level.

How to use the chart

On the defaults — a 9-inch round pan — the area is 63.62 sq in, the full volume is 8.81 cups, the batter to fill 2/3 is 5.88 cups and it serves 16. The full volume is the pan filled to the brim — never fill a cake pan past 2/3 full, so the batter column is the number that matters for a recipe. To scale a recipe, multiply every ingredient by the scaling factor: a 12-inch round is 1.78× a 9-inch round, so a recipe that fills a 9-inch pan needs 1.78 times the batter for a 12-inch pan. Deeper pans (3-inch) hold 1.5× the volume of the same 2-inch pan.

Every branch, checked

6-inch round: 28.27 sq in, 3.92 cups full, 2.61 cups batter, 7 servings, scale 0.44×. A small pan for a small cake — less than half the batter of a 9-inch round.

8-inch round: 50.27 sq in, 6.96 cups full, 4.64 cups batter, 13 servings, scale 0.79×. The most common swap for a 9-inch recipe — about four-fifths of the batter.

10-inch round: 78.54 sq in, 10.88 cups full, 7.25 cups batter, 20 servings, scale 1.23×. One step up from the 9-inch, for a few extra servings.

12-inch round: 113.10 sq in, 15.67 cups full, 10.44 cups batter, 28 servings, scale 1.78×. Nearly twice the 9-inch pan — the batter is 10.44 cups, computed from the unrounded volume, not 10.45.

9-inch square: 81.00 sq in, 11.22 cups full, 7.48 cups batter, 20 servings, scale 1.27×. The same width as the 9-inch round, but it holds 2.41 cups more.

8-inch square: 64.00 sq in, 8.87 cups full, 5.91 cups batter, 16 servings, scale 1.01×. Almost exactly the same as a 9-inch round — a near-perfect swap.

The reverses

Area of a 10-inch round pan: 78.54 sq in — at 9 inches it is 63.62 sq in. The star is SQUARE INCHES.

Full volume of an 8-inch round pan: 6.96 cups — at 7 inches it is 5.33 cups. The star is CUPS.

Smallest diameter whose area is 100 sq in or more: exactly 11.2838 in — displayed 11.29 in gives 100.11 sq in, and 11.28 in gives 99.93 sq in. The star is INCHES.

Diameter for a full volume of 8 cups: exactly 8.5749 in — displayed 8.58 in gives 8.01 cups. The star is INCHES.

Servings of a 12-inch round pan: 28 — an 11-inch round serves 24. The star is SERVINGS.

Scaling factor of a 12-inch round vs a 9-inch round: 1.78× — an 11-inch round is 1.49×. The star is a RATIO.

What the defaults assume

The tables are first-principles from the stated rules — area = π × (d/2)² round, length × width square; full volume = area × 2 in ÷ 14.4375 cu in per cup; batter = full volume × 2/3 from the unrounded volume; servings = area × 0.25 rounded to the nearest whole serving — every figure derived, never hand-typed. A 4-inch round pan — area 12.57, volume 1.74 cups, batter 1.16 cups, servings 3, scale 0.20× — sits below the table; the nearest row is 6 in. A 14-inch round pan — area 153.94, volume 21.32 cups, batter 14.22 cups, servings 38, scale 2.42× — sits above the table; the nearest row is 12 in. Both are model-level outcomes, not errors: the math works for any diameter. A 0-inch round pan has area 0.00 and volume 0.00 at the model level — no pan, no cake — and the live calculator asks for 1 to 20 inches, so 0 is an input error in the tool, not a result.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The home baker swapping pan sizes: they learn a 9-inch round holds 8.81 cups full and 5.88 cups of batter — and they check that an 8-inch round needs only 0.79× the batter before halving the recipe.
• The party planner sizing a crowd cake: they learn a 12-inch round serves 28 — and they check that it needs 1.78× the batter of a 9-inch round before doubling the recipe.
• The recipe writer converting round to square: they learn a 9-inch square holds 11.22 cups against 8.81 for the round — and they check the square table before telling readers the pans are interchangeable.
• The baker with an odd-sized pan: they learn a 4-inch round holds only 1.74 cups — and they check the calculator for any diameter, even one outside the table, before guessing the batter.

Accuracy & limitations

The tables are first-principles: the areas come straight from the pan geometry, the volumes from a 2-inch depth and 14.4375 cubic inches per cup, the batter from 2/3 of the unrounded volume, and the servings from one serving per 4 square inches — every figure derived, never hand-typed. What the model cannot do is measure YOUR pan and YOUR cake: real pans vary a little from their stated size, some pans are deeper or shallower than 2 inches (a 3-inch pan holds 1.5× the volume), batter rises differently by recipe, and a serving is a rough guide — a generous slice is bigger than a quarter of a square inch of cake per person in name only. Use the chart to pick the pan and scale the recipe, then watch the cake, not the clock.

Frequently asked questions