Pizza is great, but understanding the sizes that they come in isn’t so great. As with humans, pizzas come in “all shapes and sizes.” (Okay, maybe not the shape part, but you get the point)
Even as someone who used to have pizza frequently, I never understood how pizza sizes work and how many pizzas should be ordered. However, after going through this article, you won’t have to ever worry about all of this.
A fun fact: A 14-inch pizza contains 4x more pizza than a 7-inch one does. I’ll do the math in the end.
I’ll be covering how many servings are there in different pizza sizes, how large are different pizza sizes and how many slices are there in different pizzas.
Note: The smallest pizza size has two names: pan and personal. So, don’t get confused if I use two names for the same size; it’ll be the same thing.
Table of Contents
How to Make the Dough of Desired Size?
Well, you cannot just take the measurement tape out and start measuring the dough while rolling. Thanks to these non-slip silicone dough rolling mats that just take away all the hassle of rolling the perfect sized dough.
Pizza Sizes
Before I give you any specific number, it is important to know that these sizes are not universal. Though most companies follow these numbers, not all (especially local shops) do. Even so, the following numbers are excellent estimates for such places.
Even for brands, this isn’t consistent and universal. Some brands may have their own dimensions that they follow, but it’s never going to be off by a huge number.
In short, you don’t have to worry about your local pizza shop not adhering to these sizes as the dimensions will be off only a bit.
How Large Is a Personal Pizza?
This is the smallest pizza that you can order. A personal pizza has a diameter of 7 inches. It contains roughly 38.5 square inches of pizza.
How Large Is a Small Pizza?
A small pizza has a diameter of usually 10 inches. It contains roughly 50 – 78.5 square inches of pizza. This size sees the most variations by being between 8 – 10 inches wide.
How Large Is a Medium Pizza?
A medium pizza has a diameter of 12”. It contains 113 square inches of pizza.
If you want an outdoor pizza oven to cook up to medium-sized pizzas, the Ooni Karu 12, Ooni Koda 12 and the Ooni Frya 12 are great options. Though you can get larger pizza ovens, I would recommend these if medium pizzas are all you’re going to be cooking.
How Large Is a Large Pizza?
A large pizza is 2 inches larger than a medium pizza is. A large pizza has a diameter of 14”. It contains 153.9 square inches of pizza.
How Large Is an Extra Large Pizza?
An extra-large pizza is, again, 2 inches larger than a large pizza is. An extra-large pizza has a diameter of 16”. It contains 201.1 square inches of pizza.
Of course, the numbers can vary as I mentioned, but they’ll never vary enough for these figures to be considered inaccurate. Oh, and about the area. The formula for calculating the area of a circle (shape of a pizza) is pi * r2. So, the area varies with the square of the radius and not the radius itself. Doubling the radius (or the diameter) quadruples the area.
For cooking pizzas larger than 12”, you’re going to need larger pizza ovens. Some of the best outdoor pizza ovens for cooking up to 16” pizzas are the Ooni Koda 16, the Ooni Karu 16 and the Ooni Pro 16 (this one is an overkill, though).
You can also get by with the smaller outdoor pizza ovens by slicing your pizza into four pizzas and cooking those separately. You can refer to this section to find which outdoor pizza oven would be the perfect match for you.
No. of Slices in a Pizza
Different pizza sizes have different diameters and areas. Consequently, their slice sizes aren’t the same. However, the size difference isn’t that much (as I’ll show you). So, one can say that a slice of any pizza size contains roughly the same amount of pizza.
Number of Slices in a Pan Pizza
A pan pizza has 4 slices. It has the least amount of pizza per slice.
Number of Slices in a Small Pizza
A small pizza has 6 slices.
Number of Slices in a Medium Pizza
A medium pizza has 8 slices.
Number of Slices in a Large Pizza
A large pizza has 10 slices.
Number of Slices in an Extra Large Pizza
An extra-large pizza will give you around 12 slices (maybe even more). An extra-large pizza offers the largest pizza area per slice.
Area per Slice
The area per slice will be calculate by simply diving the total area of the pizza by the number of slices. A personal pizza has 9.6 square inches of pizza per slice, a small pizza has 13.1 square inches of pizza per slice, a medium pizza has 14.1 square inches of pizza per slice, a large pizza has 15.4 square inches of pizza per slice, and an extra large has 16.6 square inches of pizza per slice.
Servings per Pizza
The amount of pizza one can eat depends on a lot of factors like:
- Appetite
- Physique
- Pizza’s Taste
However, I won’t take all of those into account for the sake of this article. One serving here will mean what an average adult can eat comfortably in one time. For children, you can consider three of them being equal to two adults.
How Many People can a Personal Pizza Serve?
A personal pizza serves one adult and barely 2 children.
How Many People can a Small Pizza Serve?
A small pizza has 6 slices, so it can serve 2 adults and 3 children.
How Many People can a Medium Pizza Serve?
A medium pizza has 8 slices, so it can serve around 3 adults and 4 children.
How Many People can a Large Pizza Serve?
A large pizza has 10 slices and can serve around 4 adults and 5-6 children.
How Many People can an Extra Large Pizza Serve?
An extra-large pizza has at least 12 slices, and it can serve 4-5 adults and around 6-7 children.
Other Factors
All of these have been written for an ideal which is obviously never the case. So, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Eating sidelines will decrease your appetite
- Having a cold drink will also decrease your appetite
- The tastier the pizza, the more it will be eaten
- The healthier a person, the greater the serving
- The heavier the toppings, the smaller the serving
With that being said, don’t forget that the persons making pizzas are humans, too. There will always be that human factor that can’t be taken out of the equation. Your pizza can be a bit larger or smaller
| Size (Diameter) | Area | Slices | Servings | |
| Personal | 7-8 “ | 38.5 square inches | 4 | 1 |
| Small | 8-10 “ | 50-78.5 square inches | 6 | 2 |
| Medium | 12 “ | 113 square inches | 8 | 2-3 |
| Large | 14 “ | 153.9 square inches | 10 | 4-5 |
| Extra Large | 16-18 “ | 201.1 – 254.5 square inches | 12 | 5-6 |
Choosing the Right Pizza Oven Size According to Sizes
There are dozens of outdoor pizza ovens out there. Finding the perfect fit is quite the tedious job. Of many of the factors that come into play when deciding which pizza oven to buy, size is one. I won’t be taking into account the fuel source, as I don’t know which source do you prefer.
Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens for up to Medium-sized Pizzas
With the following outdoor pizza ovens, you can cook pizzas up to 12” (the size of a medium pizza) easily:
- Ooni Koda 12
- Ooni Frya 12
- Ooni Karu 12
- Bertello
Ooni Koda 12
The Ooni Koda 12 is a great gas-powered pizza oven. The oven runs only on gas and requires a propane gas to do so. You can read more about the Ooni Koda 12 here.
Ooni Frya 12
The Ooni Frya 12 is a good option if you’re looking for a wood-powered pizza oven. Because the oven uses wood, you don’t have to carry another large object like a propane tank with it. That makes it the most portable 12” outdoor pizza oven. You can read more about the Ooni Frya 12 here.
Ooni Karu 12
If you’re looking to switch between different fuel sources, this is what you want to be going for. Being a multi-fuel oven, it can use either gas or wood/ charcoal. It is the lightest oven on the list. However, don’t forget to add the weight of the propane tank if you plan on using gas as this doesn’t have a direct connection option either.
You can read more about the Ooni Karu 12 here.
Bertello Pizza Oven
You’ve read about ovens that run on wood, gas or either of these, but this one is a special one. It runs on wood, gas, or both gas and wood. You read that correctly. The Bertello pizza oven can use both gas and wood. If you want to know more about how this is beneficial (if at all), you can do so by clicking here.
3 of the Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens for Large and Extra Large Pizzas
Here’s good news: you don’t necessarily need a larger pizza oven to cook large and extra large pizzas. You can use the smaller 12” ones by splitting the pizzas in 2-4 pieces and cooking those parts individually. However, if you’re going to be cooking large and extra large pizzas every now and then, it’s better to get a larger pizza oven.
Here are 3 of the best outdoor pizza ovens for cooking large and extra large pizzas:
Ooni Koda 16
With the Ooni Koda 16, you’ll only be able to use gas to cook your pizzas. With this oven, you won’t be able to get that dark, rich and smoky flavour. However, it’s a pretty good option. If you want to know more about how this is beneficial (if at all), you can do so by clicking here.
Ooni Karu 16
Unlike the Ooni Koda 16, you can use wood/ charcoal or gas when cooking with Ooni Karu 16. To use it with a gas, you’ll, just like with other ovens, have to use a propane tank. However, when wood is to be used as a fuel source, small hardwood pellets are used.
These pellets are extremely portable and much more efficient at burning than normal wood is. This makes it a great portable outdoor pizza oven despite it being large enough in size to fit a 16” inch pizza easily.
If you want to know more about how this is beneficial (if at all), you can do so by clicking here.
Ooni Pro 16
This one is not for beginners. If pizza parties are your daily thing or you have quite the experience with pizza ovens, this one would be the best choice for you. For beginners, the steep learning curve and managing is daunting. Click here to read in-depth review of Ooni Pro 16.
[…] sizes vary from one brand to another. The common or standard pizza sizes are personal, small, medium, large, and extra large. The personal pizza has a diameter of 6 inches -7 inches. The small pizza size has a range of 8 […]