Quick answer
An 8 inch round pan, 2 inches deep, has 50.3 square inches of top area and holds 6.96 cups to the rim. A 9 x 13 pan holds 16.21 cups. A 12 cup bundt pan holds 12 cups by the manufacturer's published rating, since its fluted interior cannot be measured from the outside diameter.
Fat Daddio's Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pans, 8 x 2 in, 2 Piece Set
Two matched 8 by 2 inch pans, which is exactly one two layer cake, in the anodized aluminum that bakes flatter than a dark nonstick pan because it reflects rather than absorbs.
Best for: the standard two layer 8 inch cake
Check price on AmazonEvery figure below falls into one of two categories, and the table notes say which. For a pan with a flat floor, the area is derived: a circle is pi times the radius squared, a square is the side squared, and so on, all repeatable arithmetic from the stated dimensions. Volume to the rim then follows as area times depth. A bundt or tube pan with a fluted or stepped interior cannot be measured that way, so its capacity is taken from the manufacturer's own published rating instead, and that distinction matters because a derived figure and a published one can be checked against different sources.
Depth is measured as the inside height of the pan wall, not the height of the finished cake, which typically rises to something closer to twice the batter depth once baked. For the batter quantity a given capacity actually calls for, see the batter volume chart, and for servings by size, the cake serving chart. Compare any two pans directly in the pan substitution calculator.
Two pans of the same stated size are not always the same pan. Nominal sizes get rounded for convenience, so a pan sold as 9 inches might measure closer to 8.9 or 9.1 inches across the actual baking surface, and a small difference like that barely moves the area at all. What genuinely changes the numbers is depth and shape family: a springform, a solid round layer pan and a tube pan can all share a diameter and still hold very different amounts of batter, because a tube pan gives up area to its centre column and a springform is otherwise identical to a plain round tin. When a recipe calls for a size you do not own, the pan size chart below is where to check whether a substitute is close enough before reaching for the pan substitution calculator to work out the adjustment.
What are the standard round cake pan sizes?
Round pans come in two common depths, 2 inches for a standard layer and 3 inches for a taller tier pan that needs fewer layers stacked to reach the same finished height.
| Pan | Depth (in) | Area (sq in) | Volume to rim (cu in) | Capacity (cups) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 in round | 2 | 28.3 | 56.6 | 3.92 |
| 8 in round | 2 | 50.3 | 100.5 | 6.96 |
| 9 in round | 2 | 63.6 | 127.2 | 8.81 |
| 10 in round | 2 | 78.5 | 157.1 | 10.88 |
| 12 in round | 2 | 113.1 | 226.2 | 15.67 |
| 14 in round | 2 | 153.9 | 307.9 | 21.33 |
| 6 in round | 3 | 28.3 | 84.8 | 5.87 |
| 8 in round | 3 | 50.3 | 150.8 | 10.45 |
| 10 in round | 3 | 78.5 | 235.6 | 16.32 |
| 12 in round | 3 | 113.1 | 339.3 | 23.50 |
How big is a 9x13 pan compared with a sheet pan?
A quarter sheet pan and a 9 x 13 layer pan share the same footprint but differ in depth, which is the whole reason their capacities diverge even though their servings do not. That distinction between footprint and depth is worth carrying into any conversion between a home layer pan and a commercial sheet pan size, since the names alone do not tell you which one you are getting.
| Pan | Depth (in) | Area (sq in) | Volume to rim (cu in) | Capacity (cups) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 x 6 in square | 2 | 36.0 | 72.0 | 4.99 |
| 8 x 8 in square | 2 | 64.0 | 128.0 | 8.87 |
| 9 x 9 in square | 2 | 81.0 | 162.0 | 11.22 |
| 10 x 10 in square | 2 | 100.0 | 200.0 | 13.85 |
| 12 x 12 in square | 2 | 144.0 | 288.0 | 19.95 |
| 9 x 13 in rectangle | 2 | 117.0 | 234.0 | 16.21 |
| Quarter sheet, 9 x 13 in | 1 | 117.0 | 117.0 | 8.10 |
| Half sheet, 13 x 18 in | 1 | 234.0 | 234.0 | 16.21 |
| 12 x 18 in rectangle | 2 | 216.0 | 432.0 | 29.92 |
| Full sheet, 18 x 26 in | 1 | 468.0 | 468.0 | 32.42 |
What is the capacity of a heart, hexagon, oval, springform, loaf or tube pan?
These shapes are less standardised than round and square, so measuring the pan you actually own is worth doing once, but the constructions below give a reliable starting figure.
| Pan | Depth (in) | Area (sq in) | Volume to rim (cu in) | Capacity (cups) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 in heart, across the widest point | 2 | 57.2 | 114.3 | 7.92 |
| 9 in heart, across the widest point | 2 | 72.3 | 144.7 | 10.02 |
| 9 in hexagon, across flats | 2 | 70.2 | 140.3 | 9.72 |
| 9 x 13 in oval | 2 | 91.9 | 183.8 | 12.73 |
| 8 in springform | 3 | 50.3 | 150.8 | 10.45 |
| 9 in springform | 3 | 63.6 | 190.9 | 13.22 |
| 10 in springform | 3 | 78.5 | 235.6 | 16.32 |
| 8 x 4 in loaf | 2.5 | 32.0 | 80.0 | 5.54 |
| 9 x 5 in loaf | 2.75 | 45.0 | 123.8 | 8.57 |
| 10 in tube, 4 in centre tube | 4 | 66.0 | 263.9 | 18.28 |
How much does a bundt pan hold?
A bundt pan is the one shape on this page where area cannot be derived at all. The fluted interior has no flat floor to measure, so its capacity comes from the manufacturer's own published rating rather than from arithmetic on the outside dimensions.
| Pan | Outer diameter (in) | Depth (in) | Published capacity (cups) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 cup bundt | 9.5 | 3.5 | 10 |
| 12 cup bundt | 10 | 3.75 | 12 |
| 15 cup bundt | 10 | 4.25 | 15 |
What this job actually needs
Fat Daddio's Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pans, 8 x 2 in, 2 Piece Set
$24.69Two matched 8 by 2 inch pans, which is exactly one two layer cake, in the anodized aluminum that bakes flatter than a dark nonstick pan because it reflects rather than absorbs.
Best for: the standard two layer 8 inch cake
Check price on AmazonAmazon prices move often, so check before you buy.
Wilton Aluminum Round Cake Pan Set, 3 Piece
$21.88Three plain aluminum rounds at roughly the price of one professional pan, made without PFAS, which is the honest starting point before you know which sizes you will actually use.
Best for: finding out which pan sizes you reach for
Check price on AmazonAmazon prices move often, so check before you buy.
Escali Primo Digital Food Scale
$25.00The scale most often on a professional bench: it reads fast, tares instantly, and nothing about it is trying to also be a nutrition tracker.
Best for: weighing every ingredient, which is what makes scaling a recipe work
Check price on AmazonAmazon prices move often, so check before you buy.
Questions people ask
- What size is a standard cake pan?
- Most home recipes are written for an 8 or 9 inch round pan, 2 inches deep. An 8 inch pan has 50.3 square inches of top area and holds 6.96 cups to the rim; a 9 inch pan has 63.6 square inches and holds 8.81 cups. If a recipe does not specify a size, an 8 or 9 inch round is the safest assumption.
- How much bigger is a 10 inch pan than an 8 inch pan?
- A 10 inch round pan holds about 1.56 times what an 8 inch round pan holds, both at 2 inches deep: 157.1 cubic inches against 100.5. That ratio comes straight from the area difference, since depth is unchanged. Pour one 8 inch batch into a 10 inch pan and it sits noticeably shallower than the recipe intended.
- Does pan depth change the top area?
- No. A 6 inch round pan has 28.3 square inches of top area whether it is 2 inches deep or 3 inches deep, because area is measured across the diameter and depth adds height, not width. What depth changes is volume, since a 3 inch pan of the same diameter holds exactly 1.5 times what a 2 inch version holds.
- How do I find the capacity of a bundt pan?
- Use the manufacturer's published rating rather than trying to calculate it from the outer diameter. A bundt pan's fluted interior has no flat floor, so the geometry that works for a round or square pan does not apply. If the rating is not printed on the pan or the box, fill it with water from a measuring jug up to the rim and record what it takes.
- What is the difference between a springform pan and a round cake pan?
- Structurally, nothing about the interior. A springform pan has identical area and volume to a solid round pan of the same diameter and depth; the only difference is a removable side wall held by a latch, which lets a delicate cake such as a cheesecake come out without inverting it. Batter volume and bake time figures for a round pan apply directly to a springform of the same size.
Related pages
How this page was put together
Researched from pan geometry, published manufacturer capacities, published serving conventions and university extension guidance. Not hands-on testing, and not professional advice.
Figures are labelled as derived, published or trade convention. Where no honest figure exists, the page says so rather than filling the gap.