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Turkey size calculator
Put your adults, children and pounds per adult-equivalent in: 8 adults and 4 children at 1.25 lb per adult-equivalent need 12.50 lb raw — buy a 13 lb turkey.
★ FOOD · THANKSGIVING · TURKEY SIZE
Turkey Size Calculator: What Size Turkey for 10 Guests
On the defaults — 8 adults and 4 children at 1.25 lb per adult-equivalent — your Thanksgiving turkey needs 12.50 lb raw, so buy a 13 lb bird. This is the Thanksgiving sizing tool: turn a guest list into one number to hand the butcher, with children counted at half an adult portion.
What does 12.50 lb raw — buy a 13 lb turkey mean?
It means a table of 8 adults and 4 children needs twelve and a half pounds of raw, bone-in turkey, and since turkeys are sold by the whole pound you buy the next size up: a 13 lb bird. The 12.50 lb is the raw weight before cooking; a cooked turkey weighs roughly 25% less, because juices and fat cook out, but you shop by raw weight, so the raw figure is the one that matters at the store. Rounding up is not waste: the extra half pound covers the guest who takes seconds and the carver who trims unevenly.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Adult-equivalents | adults + children × 0.5 | 10 — 8 + 4 × 0.5. |
| Raw turkey needed | adult-equivalents × pounds per adult-equivalent | 12.50 lb — 10 × 1.25 lb. |
| Turkey to buy | round raw weight up to the next whole pound | 13 lb — the next whole pound above 12.50. |
| Cooked meat, roughly | raw weight × 0.75 | about 9.4 lb — 12.50 × 0.75. |
Three things to check before you trust the number
First, count children honestly: a teenager who eats like an adult belongs in the adult box, not the children box, or the bird comes up short. Second, pick the per-person figure for the meal you are actually serving: 1 lb works only when there are no seconds and no leftovers, while a holiday table with sandwiches the next day wants 1.5 lb. Third, remember the figure is raw bone-in weight: if you buy a boneless breast instead, you need far less, about 0.5 lb per adult, because there is no bone or carcass weight in the number.
Worked example
8 adults, 4 children, 1.25 lb per adult-equivalent. Adult-equivalents: 8 + 4 × 0.5 = 10. Raw turkey: 10 × 1.25 lb = 12.50 lb. Buy: round 12.50 up to the next whole pound, 13 lb. At the store, a bird labelled 13 lb is the buy; a 12 lb bird would leave the table half a pound short before anyone takes seconds.
Every branch, checked
With 10 adults instead of 8, the equivalents rise to 12 and the raw need to 15.00 lb — buy a 15 lb turkey. With 6 children instead of 4, the equivalents rise to 11 and the raw need to 13.75 lb — buy a 14 lb turkey. At 1.50 lb per adult-equivalent the same table needs 15.00 lb — buy a 15 lb turkey, the leftovers choice. With only 2 children, the equivalents fall to 9 and the raw need to 11.25 lb — buy a 12 lb turkey.
The reverses, worked backwards
The adults behind 12.50 lb raw are 8: at 6 adults the figures are 10.00 lb raw, buy a 10 lb turkey; at 10 adults they are 15.00 lb raw, buy a 15 lb turkey. The children behind 12.50 lb raw are 4: at 2 children the figures are 11.25 lb raw, buy a 12 lb turkey; at 6 children they are 13.75 lb raw, buy a 14 lb turkey. The pounds per adult-equivalent behind 12.50 lb raw are 1.25 lb: at 1.00 lb the figures are 10.00 lb raw, buy a 10 lb turkey; at 1.50 lb they are 15.00 lb raw, buy a 15 lb turkey.
What the defaults assume
The defaults assume a mixed table of 8 adults and 4 children, a comfortable 1.25 lb per adult-equivalent, and a whole bone-in bird. They do not assume a boneless cut, a second meat, or a table of only adults; change the children box to 0 and the per-person figure to 1 lb for a tight adults-only table, or raise it to 1.5 lb when the next day’s sandwiches matter as much as dinner.
Who uses this
- A Thanksgiving host buying the bird: the 13 lb answer settles the butcher-counter question before the store trip.
- A guest asked to bring the turkey: the guest list turns into one number to hand the butcher, with no guesswork.
- A caterer scaling a holiday order: adult-equivalents scale cleanly from one family table to a hundred-guest event.
- A budget cook: buying the right size once beats buying too small and adding a second breast at holiday prices.
Accuracy & limitations
The arithmetic is exact for the inputs entered; the judgement is the per-person figure and the half-child rule. Real appetites vary: a table of big eaters can beat 1.25 lb per adult, and a table with several other meats can get by on less. The half-child rule is an average, not a promise — a hungry teenager is an adult for this purpose. Treat the buy weight as a floor, not a ceiling: one pound up is cheap insurance against a short table.
Cite this calculator
Bright Side Kit, “Turkey Size Calculator: What Size Turkey for 10 Guests”, https://brightoolbox.com/turkey-size-calculator/, accessed 2 November 2026. Students and researchers: cite the calculator name, the page URL and the date you used it, and quote the defaults (8 adults, 4 children, 1.25 lb) so the 13 lb result can be checked.
Frequently asked questions
How many pounds of turkey per person?
Allow 1 lb per adult for a tight table with no leftovers, 1.25 lb for a comfortable table, and 1.5 lb when you want generous leftovers. For children, allow half the adult figure each. This calculator uses 1.25 lb per adult-equivalent on the defaults.
Do children count as full guests?
No. Each child counts as half an adult-equivalent here, because children typically take about half an adult portion. A teenager who eats a full adult plate should be counted as an adult instead.
Is the result raw or cooked weight?
Raw, bone-in weight — the weight on the label at the store. Cooking loses roughly a quarter of the weight, so a 13 lb raw bird yields about 9.4 lb of cooked meat, but you shop by the raw figure.
What if my bird weighs between whole pounds?
Buy the next whole pound up. A 12.50 lb need means a 13 lb bird; rounding down leaves the table short, while rounding up costs a few cents and covers seconds.
What about a boneless turkey breast?
Do not use this calculator’s result for a boneless breast: with no bone or carcass, about 0.5 lb per adult is enough. The 1.25 lb figure assumes a whole bone-in bird.
How does turkey size relate to cooking time?
Cooking time scales with weight, roughly 13 minutes per pound unstuffed at 325°F, so a 13 lb bird needs about 2 hours 49 minutes. Use the turkey cooking time calculator once you know the size.