Egg Size Calculator

How big is that egg, really?

More freakishly large eggs live on our chicken world records page.

Egg weight by size: the US grade chart

US egg sizes are set by the minimum weight of a single egg, and the official grades are actually defined per dozen — the per-egg figures below are simply that dozen weight divided by twelve. This is why a carton labelled Large can hold eggs that look slightly different from each other: the carton has to average out, not match egg for egg.

• Peewee — under 42.5 g (under about 1.5 oz), 15 oz per dozen
• Small — 42.5 g and up (about 1.5 oz), 18 oz per dozen
• Medium — 49.6 g and up (about 1.75 oz), 21 oz per dozen
• Large — 56.7 g and up (about 2 oz), 24 oz per dozen
• Extra Large — 63.8 g and up (about 2.25 oz), 27 oz per dozen
• Jumbo — 70.9 g and up (about 2.5 oz), 30 oz per dozen

Large is the reference size for almost every recipe. If a recipe just says “2 eggs” it means two Large eggs, roughly 100 g of egg out of the shell. Baking with Medium eggs when a recipe wants Large will noticeably dry out a cake, and three Jumbo eggs will substitute for four Large in most batters.

European egg sizes

The EU and UK use four grades rather than six, and they are not interchangeable with the US names. Small is under 53 g, Medium is 53–63 g, Large is 63–73 g, and Very Large (XL) is 73 g and over. A “Large” egg in a British recipe is therefore closer to a US Extra Large, which is worth knowing before you follow a UK baking recipe with American eggs.

Why your hens’ eggs vary so much

A pullet’s first eggs are often Peewee or Small — sometimes tiny yolkless “fairy eggs” — and they climb through Medium and Large over her first few months of laying. Egg size then keeps creeping up as a hen ages, which is why the biggest eggs and most double-yolkers come from older birds. Breed sets the ceiling, and heat, low-protein feed, and stress all push sizes down. If your eggs suddenly shrink, check protein levels first. See also why hens stop laying.