Baking pan size converter — scale a recipe to the tin you own
Recipe calls for a different tin? Enter the one in the recipe and the one you have, and find out how much more or less mixture to make.
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- Keep the recipe as it is and the mixture will spread into a thinner layer. Use the suggested ingredient amounts for a similar thickness, and start checking the cake early.
Pans close in area to your original
| Pan | Multiplier needed |
|---|---|
| 20 cm round | 1× — near-direct swap |
| 8 in round | 1.03× — near-direct swap |
| 9 × 5 in loaf | 0.92× |
| 18 cm round | 0.81× |
Use the suggested ingredient amounts for a cake of similar thickness. If you keep the recipe as it is, a wider tin gives a thinner layer and a narrower tin gives a thicker one. Leave room for rising—capacity is not a suggested fill level. The calculator cannot tell you a new baking time or oven temperature. Start checking early and follow your recipe’s advice for telling when the cake is done.
Your recipe says round, but your tin is square
Say the recipe calls for a 20 cm round tin and you have a 20 cm square one. They might look much the same size, but the square tin has extra room in the corners. You have two choices.
Want a cake about the same thickness?
Make about a quarter more mixture. For example, a recipe with 200 g of flour would need about 255 g for this swap. Adjust the other ingredients too—the recipe scaler can work out the new quantities for your whole list.
Happy with a thinner cake?
Keep the recipe as it is. The mixture will spread more thinly across the square tin and may bake sooner, so start checking before the usual time. Follow the recipe’s advice for checking whether it is done.
Leave room for the cake to rise
A taller tin does not mean you need to fill it higher. If it is the same width and shape as the original, you can use the same amount of mixture. The taller sides simply leave more space above it.
The capacity figure shows how much a tin could hold right up to the rim. It is not a suggested amount of cake mixture. Follow the recipe’s filling instructions and leave space for rising.
Baking time needs a separate check, especially if you also switch between metal, glass or silicone. For more on choosing a replacement, see King Arthur Baking’s guide to swapping tins.
How to use
- Start with the tin in the recipe. Choose a common size from the list, or enter its shape and measurements. For a round tin, measure straight across the middle.
- Add the tin you want to use. Measure inside the base, not across the rim or handles. You can use centimetres for one tin and inches for the other. Write 8½ inches as 8.5.
- Read the result. The recipe multiplier tells you how to change the ingredients for a similar thickness. A number above 1 means make more; below 1 means make less. You can leave the depth boxes empty unless you want to compare how much the tins hold.
- Work out the ingredients. Open Scale the ingredients, choose A multiplier and enter the number shown here. Paste your ingredient list to get the new amounts, then check anything awkward, such as part of an egg.
Questions
Do I have to change the recipe?
Not always. In a larger tin, the same mixture makes a thinner layer and may bake sooner. In a smaller tin, it makes a thicker layer and could overflow as it rises. Adjust the quantities if you want a similar thickness, and leave the room for rising that your recipe calls for.
My tin has taller sides. Do I need more mixture?
No, not if its base is the same size and shape. Use the same amount for the same thickness. Taller sides give the cake more space above it; they are not a reason to fill the tin higher.
What do I do with a result like 1.27?
It means use about 27% more of each ingredient—roughly a quarter more. You do not have to work through the list by hand: enter 1.27 in the recipe scaler’s A multiplier box and paste your ingredients.
Should I fill the tin to the capacity shown?
No. Capacity is an estimate of what the tin could hold right up to the rim, not how much cake mixture to put in. Follow your recipe’s filling instructions. Sloping sides and rounded corners can also make the real capacity different.
Can I use this for loaf tins or Bundt tins?
Choose Loaf for a loaf tin and measure its inside base. The result is a starting point because sloping sides affect how much it holds. Bundt and ring tins are not supported: the hole in the middle and shaped sides need a different comparison.
Will I need to change the baking time?
Possibly, but do not multiply the time by the number shown. A different thickness, shape or tin material can change how the cake bakes. Start checking before the usual finishing time and use your recipe’s instructions for judging when it is done.
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