How Big Is A 12-Inch Pizza And How Many Slices Do You Get?

Today we will take a look at a quite popular yet bizarre question: how big is a 12-inch pizza? This is one of the most asked questions I received and for a very good reason! Knowing the exact size of this pizza will allow you to order the exact amount you need.

I’ve also got a ton of other incredibly handy guides on my site, including How To Tell If Pork Is Bad, How To Convert 400F to C, and 3 Ways How To Zest An Orange.

Keep an eye on the blog for more weekly educational content that will help elevate your kitchen skills!

Sizing Up Pizzas

As you probably know, there are many different sizes when it comes to pizzas. That’s great because it allows you to buy exactly how much you need for a specific occasion. If you are simply craving pizza for lunch, you’ll likely buy a “small” or “medium” pizza. But, if you are having a party for 20 people, you are more likely to buy 3 or 4 “large” pizzas.

But what exactly do “small,” “medium,” and “large” mean? What are the actual sizes of these pizzas?

This simultaneously opens up a whole other list of questions including “How big is a 12-inch pizza?” and “How many people does a large pizza feed?”

If you don’t understand pizza sizing, you won’t be able to get the exact amount you need. 

You may be wondering why it’s important, but picture this: you have 100 people at an event, and only half of them ate pizza because you didn’t buy enough. On the flip side of that argument, you bought WAY too much pizza and have about 50 pizzas left. This not only wasted a ton of food but a ton of money!

In today’s jam-packed article, we will take an in-depth look at exactly how big a 12-inch pizza is, how many slices are in a 12-inch pizza, and how many people can eat from this pizza size. But don’t worry, I will also briefly cover some other popular pizza sizes!

Let’s get right to it!

How Big Is A 12-Inch Pizza?

A 12-inch pizza is generally considered to be a “large” pizza in many countries. But, in America, for example, it’s actually labeled as a “small” pizza. 

The difference in portion control of different countries also affects how many slices this pizza is portioned into. And, of course, how many people can eat from it.

While these pizzas aren’t technically 12 inches in diameter, they do measure up pretty closely. A 12-inch pizza is usually about 11.81 inches in diameter. That’s precisely 30 centimeters.

Another way you can calculate how big a 12-inch pizza is, is by looking at its circumference. It would be 37.17 inches or 94.48 centimeters.

Each 12-inch pizza will have a surface area of roughly 113 square inches (729 square centimeters).

Naturally, there are many different sizes of pizza. And, even between different establishments, you will find that each one of their “large” pizzas has different measurements.

Most restaurants will offer 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20-inch pizzas. As you can see, the diameter is virtually always an even number. I’m not exactly sure why, but it could just be one of those things.

What Do You Need To Make A 12-Inch Pizza?

To make a standard, thin-based (traditional) 12-inch pizza, you will need roughly 283 grams (10 ounces) of pizza dough. Now, keep in mind that this exact amount will even vary depending on your pizza dough recipe. Some doughs are much denser and heavier than others.

Remember, a traditional pizza base has a thickness of about 3-5 millimeters. That’s not very thick, which is why you don’t need a ton of dough.

Once you have your dough, you will also need about 150-190 grams of tomato sauce or pizza sauce. That’s roughly 5.3 to 6.7 ounces.

The reason this measurement is so broad is that people have different preferences. Some like their sauce thinly spread on while others love it liberally slathered all over the base.

You will also need about 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese. Of course, the toppings you want to add are entirely up to your preferences.

You can take a look at this pizza toppings list for some popular options you can try!

How Many Slices In 12 Inch Pizza?

Now, as I have briefly mentioned above, in different countries, a 12-inch pizza is sold as a different portion.

In America, it’s considered to be a small pizza. There, the standard amount of slices you will get is 6 per 12-inch pizza.

In other countries, like South Africa for example, a 12-inch pizza is actually a “large” pizza. There, the pizza would be sliced into 8 slices.

How Many People Does A 12-Inch Pizza Feed?

Again, this depends on the country you are from. 

An experiment conducted by The Insider found that even the “small” size between the UK and the Us differs. In the US, a small is 10 inches at Domino’s pizza. And in the UK, it’s only 7 inches.

This clearly shows that the portion sizes in the United States are much larger than in some other countries.

And what also affects how much every person eats are the actual sizes of the slices. In countries with small portion sizes, 12-inch pizzas are usually sliced into 8. In America, they are usually sliced into 6.

On average though it has been recorded that most people, irrespective of the slice size, eat between 2-3 slices of pizza to be full.

So, if you are catering for 20 people and each 12-inch pizza has 8 slices, I would buy between 5-8 pizzas (12-inch) to feed everybody.

How Many Calories Are In A 12-Inch Pizza?

That really depends on the type of pizza you get and even the ingredients used in the dough.

If you have a 12-inch pizza with just dough, sauce, and cheese, the average calorie count is about 700 calories per pizza.

That means that every slice (if a pizza is divided by 6) contains 117 calories. And, if a serving of pizza is 2-3 slices per person, that’s 234-351 calories per serving.

If a pizza is sliced into 8 pieces, that’s 88 calories per slice. For a serving of 2-3 slices per person, that’s 176-264 calories.

However, adding anything else, like meat, vegetables, and fruit, significantly increases this number.

How Big Is A 10-Inch Pizza?

A 10-inch pizza is usually sold as a “personal” pizza in America. But in many other countries, it is a “medium” or even still a “large.” It really depends on where you are.

This pizza has a diameter of 10 inches or 25.4 centimeters. It has a circumference of 31.42 inches (79.8 centimeters), and its surface area is about 78.54 square inches (506.71 square centimeters).

You can use this website to make these calculations. 

10-inch pizzas are often sliced into 4 or 6 portions. Obviously, one of these portions will be a lot smaller (and contain fewer calories) than a portion from a 12-inch pizza.

In many countries, they are sold as individual pizzas. But, in others, they can usually feed 2 people, maybe even 3. 

Again, a 10-inch pizza isn’t that much smaller than a 12-inch pizza.

How Big Is A 16-Inch Pizza?

A 16-inch (or 40.64 centimeters) pizza is considered to be a “large” pizza in America, but an “extra large” in many other countries.

It has a circumference of 50.27 inches (127.67 centimeters) and a surface area of 201.06 square inches (1297.17 square centimeters).

These pizzas are usually divided into either 10 or 12 slices each. This can feed anywhere between 3-4 people, depending on how many slices they are able to eat. Remember, the size of the slices is also significantly larger, even though they have been divided into more pieces.

FAQ