Baking Pan Converter - Rescale Any Recipe to Your Pan Size

Same recipe, different pan - how to rescale every ingredient

The recipe says 24 cm round. You have a 20x30 cm sheet pan. The converter calculates the area ratio between both pans and produces one multiplier that applies to every ingredient in the recipe. It works for round, rectangular and square pans in any combination.

How to use this converter - step by step

Recipe pan shape - select round, rectangular or square. Common recipe sizes: 24 cm round, 20x30 cm sheet, 23x23 cm square.
Recipe pan dimensions - enter diameter (round), side length (square) or width and length (rectangular) in cm.
Your pan shape - select the shape of the pan you actually have.
Your pan dimensions - enter the inner measurements of your pan in cm.
Read the results - multiplier, rescaled sample ingredients, egg conversion and baking time adjustment.

Before and after - what changes when you switch pans

BEFORE (wrong approach)

Guess the ingredient amounts
Overflow or underfill the pan
Burn thin batter or underbake thick
Waste ingredients on failed attempts

AFTER (with converter)

Exact multiplier from area ratio
Every ingredient rescaled proportionally
Baking time adjusted automatically
Works for any shape combination

Popular pan sizes - area reference

Round pans:

Diameter	Area (cm2)	Typical use
18 cm (7 in)	254	Small cake, tart for 2-3 people
20 cm (8 in)	314	Layer cake for 4-6
22 cm (9 in)	380	Cheesecake, tart
24 cm (9.5 in)	452	Most common recipe size
26 cm (10 in)	531	Birthday cake, cheesecake for 8-10
28 cm (11 in)	616	Large cake, tart for 10-12

Rectangular and square pans:

Dimensions	Area (cm2)	Typical use
20x20 cm (8x8 in)	400	Brownie, blondies
23x23 cm (9x9 in)	529	Brownie, chocolate cake
20x30 cm (8x12 in)	600	Sheet cake, yeast cake
23x33 cm (9x13 in)	759	Standard US baking pan
30x40 cm (12x16 in)	1200	Full sheet pan, large party cake

Practical examples

24 cm round to 20x30 cm sheet: Area 452 to 600 cm2
Multiplier: x1.33 - increase all ingredients by 33%. Thinner batter - reduce baking time by 5-10 min.

26 cm round to 20 cm round: Area 531 to 314 cm2
Multiplier: x0.59 - reduce all ingredients by 41%. Thicker batter - add 10-15 min baking time.

20x20 cm square to 23x23 cm square: Area 400 to 529 cm2
Multiplier: x1.32 - increase by 32%. Common brownie pan swap.

26 cm round to 23x23 cm square: Area 531 to 529 cm2
Multiplier: x1.00 - nearly identical! Use the recipe without changes.

18 cm round to 26 cm round: Area 254 to 531 cm2
Multiplier: x2.09 - more than double all ingredients. Thinner batter - check 10-15 min early.

How baking time changes with pan size

Area change	Batter	Time adjustment	Temperature
Up to +20%	Slightly thinner	-5 to -10 min	No change
+20% to +50%	Much thinner	-10 to -20 min	No change
Up to -20%	Slightly thicker	+5 to +10 min	No change
-20% to -50%	Much thicker	+10 to +25 min	Lower by 10 C

FAQ

How does the pan converter work?

It calculates the bottom area of both pans and divides your pan's area by the recipe pan's area. The result is a multiplier - multiply every ingredient in the recipe by this number. For a round pan the area is pi x r2. For rectangular it is width x length.

Should I change the oven temperature?

Usually no. Keep the same temperature. Only lower it by about 10 C if you are using a much smaller pan (multiplier below 0.5), because the thicker batter needs gentler heat to bake evenly. Always test with a toothpick - it should come out clean.

What if I get a non-whole number of eggs (like 2.5)?

Three options: (A) use the lower number plus one egg white only, (B) crack the extra egg, beat it and measure half, (C) round up to the next whole egg - the cake will be slightly puffier. For delicate recipes like cheesecake, measuring precisely matters more.

Does the converter account for pan height?

No - it uses bottom area only and assumes both pans have similar height. If your pan is much shallower than the recipe pan, the batter may overflow. In that case, bake in batches or use a deeper pan.

Can I convert between round and rectangular pans?

Yes - the converter handles any shape combination. A 26 cm round pan (531 cm2) is almost identical to a 23x23 cm square pan (529 cm2). A 28 cm round (616 cm2) matches a 20x30 cm rectangle (600 cm2). The multiplier accounts for the area difference regardless of shape.

Does this work for cheesecakes and dense cakes?

Yes, but dense cakes are more sensitive to thickness changes. If the multiplier is below 0.7 (much smaller pan), the center may not bake through. Consider baking in a water bath for cheesecakes when using a significantly different pan size. Optimal difference is within 20%.

Related tools

Sourdough Calculator

Calculate flour, water and starter proportions for feeding sourdough at any ratio - Open calculator

Vegetable Calories Calculator

Compare raw vs cooked calories for 15 vegetables across 5 cooking methods - Open calculator

Baking Time Calculator

Calculate roasting and baking times by weight for meat and baked goods - Open calculator

Serving Size Calculator

Scale recipe portions up or down with proportional ingredient adjustment - Open calculator

Dough Hydration Calculator

Calculate baker percentage hydration from flour, water and sourdough with bread type guide - Open calculator