Dough ball weight calculator by pizza size (10, 12, 14, 16 inch)
Dough ball weight = pizza area × a thickness factor. For a classic hand-tossed pie: 10″ ≈ 6.25 oz, 12″ ≈ 9 oz, 14″ ≈ 12.25 oz, 16″ ≈ 16 oz, 18″ ≈ 20.25 oz. Enter your size below, or start from the ball you already make and scale it to another size.
Mixer bowl, bench, trimmings.
Dough ball weight
12.25 oz
rounded to ¼ oz · 0.080 oz per sq in
Dough to make
31.54 lb
40 balls + 3% loss
Pizza area
154 sq in
- 8-inch50 sq in
- 4.00 oz
- 10-inch79 sq in
- 6.25 oz
- 12-inch113 sq in
- 9.00 oz
- 14-inch154 sq in
- 12.25 oz
- 16-inch201 sq in
- 16.00 oz
- 18-inch254 sq in
- 20.25 oz
- 20-inch314 sq in
- 25.00 oz
The list gives the weight for every common US size at the same factor. Work out the recipe for 40 balls of 12.25 oz (flour, water, salt, yeast and timings).
Why one weight doesn’t work for every size
Dough spreads over an area, and area grows with the square of the diameter. Going from a 12-inch to a 14-inch is 17% more diameter but 36% more surface. Keep the same ball and you get a thin center that tears on the peel; adding 17% isn’t enough either. Multiply the weight by the ratio of the areas instead: (14 ÷ 12)² = 1.36. A 9 oz ball for a 12-inch becomes a 12.25 oz ball for a 14-inch. The same logic runs the other way for a 10-inch personal pie: (10 ÷ 12)² = 0.69, so about 6.25 oz, not the 7.5 oz most people guess.
Choosing your thickness factor
| Style | Factor | 12-inch | 14-inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thin and crispy, tavern or bar style | ~0.064 oz/sq in | ~7.25 oz | ~9.75 oz |
| Classic hand-tossed or New York | ~0.080 oz/sq in | ~9 oz | ~12.25 oz |
| Neapolitan, puffy rim | ~0.091 oz/sq in | ~10.25 oz | ~14 oz |
| Thick pan or tray | ~0.137 oz/sq in | — | ~32 oz for an 18 × 13 pan |
Weight = π × (d ÷ 2)² × factor, rounded to the nearest ¼ oz. Factors are the shared thickness presets (0.28, 0.35, 0.40 and 0.60 g/cm²) converted to ounces per square inch.
Weigh, don’t cut by eye
A quarter ounce between two balls shows up in the oven: one scorches at the edge while the other stays pale in the middle. A bench scale that reads to a tenth of an ounce is cheap and fixes it. Weigh every ball for the first few weeks, then check one in ten once your hands have learned the weight. Whether you use high-gluten flour for New York pies or Italian 00 for Neapolitan, the weight per size stays the same; only the hydration changes.
The method in detail: dough ball weight by pizza size. For the full batch recipe: the pizza dough calculator. And for what each pie costs you: the food cost calculator.