Pizza Dough Calculator
Estimate the quantity of different ingredients necessary to achieve the perfect pizza dough, including flour, water, yeast, salt, and others using "Baker's Math". The pizza calculator will also estimate the amount of dough necessary based on the size and number of pizzas as well as the type (Neapolitan, Sicilian, New York, Tonda Romana, etc.).
- Using the pizza calculator
- Standard pizza sizes
- How much dough for a pizza?
- Pizza dough hydration tips
- How much yeast for pizza dough?
Using the pizza calculator
There are two main use-cases for this calculator. In both of them start by specifying the number of pizzas you want to make. Then, if you already know how big a dough ball is needed to make one pizza and need to simply calculate the required amounts of each ingredient using what is known as "Baker's Math". In this scenario select "Dough ball weight" next to the "Specify" label.
If you are unsure of the weight of the dough ball needed to get the desired pizza size, select "Pizza dimensions", then proceed to choose the type of pizza and its size.
Pizza types
Supported pizza types include:
- Neapolitan pizza - a.k.a. Naples-style pizza or Pizza Napoletana is the most famous traditional Italian pizza
- Canatto-style pizza - like Neapolitan, but with larger and puffier crust
- New York-style pizza - like Neapolitan, but with a much thinner crust with decidedly less chew
- Tonda Romana a.k.a. Scrocchiarella, a.k.a. Romana Tonda - very crunchy, very thin
- Sicilian pizza - rectangular, with a thick base and a wide soft crust
- Focaccia - like Sicilian pizza, but with a fluffier texture and higher moisture content
- Detroit-style pizza - rectangular, with a thick, crisp, chewy crust with edges from caramelized cheese
The size can be anything you like, with some standard sizes given in a table below. Typical diameter for round pizza types range from 9 inches (22 cm) all the way to 20 inches (50 cm), while rectangular pizzas are served in a variety of shapes. After specifying the type and size, the required weight of the dough ball will automatically be calculated for you.
Finally, specify the yeast type. The pizza calculator supports instant dry yeast, active dry yeast, and fresh yeast, with automatic yeast conversion. The yeast percentages shown by default are suitable for a 12h proofing time under 22°C / 72°F. All yeast types can be used interchangeably.
Dough ingredient parameters
The following pizza dough parameters can be tweaked based on the dough recipe, and the type of pizza one wants to make.
- Hydration - The level of dough hydration has a profound effect on the final result and pizza taste and texture. A lower ratio of water to flour in the dough makes it easier to work with, and is more suitable for beginners. Some pizza types require a higher or lower value than the default level of 60% hydration. Different types of flour may also have a different recommended hydration value. Learn more
- Yeast - The percentage of yeast to use. More yeast would result in a faster proofing time, or can facilitate proofing under colder temperatures. In general, it is recommended to proof the pizza dough for 4-12h, and no more than 24h. See the section on yeast amounts for more.
- Salt - The percentage of salt in the pizza dough. Two percent might be a bit bland for some, while three percent is what many people may find too salty.
- Sugar - The percentage of sugar in the pizza dough. Some pizza dough recipes include it, others do not, typically a low number such as 0.5%-1%. More often found in American recipes.
- Oil - The amount of olive oil or other vegetable oil in the pizza dough recipe, as a percentage. Traditional Neapolitan pizza does not include oil in the dough, while all others typically do as it helps improve the dough’s stretchability, hydration, and adds some flavor.
Standard pizza sizes
When deciding how much pizza to cook, it can be useful to have a guide as to how many people can be fed with a given pizza size. Preparing too small a pizza can leave your family and/or guests wanting more, while preparing too large a pizza may result in too much left over. Typical pizza sizes can help you decide how much pizza to prepare.
Pizza size chart
The table below is of standard sizes of round-style pizzas, with the pizza diameter given in both inches and centimeters, and also shows an average number of people it can feed.
| Pizza size | Pizza diameter | Slices | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 8 in (20 cm) | 4 | one child |
| Personal | 10 in (26 cm) | 4 | one |
| Small | 12 in (30 cm) | 6 | two |
| Medium | 14 in (36 cm) | 8 | four |
| Large | 16 in (40 cm) | 10 | five |
| Extra large | 18 in (46 cm) | 12 | six |
| Jumbo | 20 in (50 cm) | 16 | eight |
Reading from the table above, you can see that if you want to serve six people you need to prepare either one extra large pizza (if your oven can fit it in), or three small pizzas, or one small and one medium sized pizza. You can also read it in the other way, e.g. if you are wondering how many people can a 14 inch pizza feed, then the answer is about four. Similarly, a 16 inch pizza can feed about five people, and so on.
If you want to know how many slices are in a given type of pizza, simply look up the Slices column. Obviously, there is some leeway here since one can choose to slice the pizza in thinner triangles for easier handling, or to make smaller servings which may be appropriate if there are other dishes being served alongside it.
How much dough for a pizza?
The size of a dough ball required for a given pizza depends on both the pizza shape and size, and the style of pizza one wants to bake. Here is how much dough you need for the most common sizes of Neapolitan-style pizza:
| Pizza diameter | Dough required |
|---|---|
| 8 in (20 cm) | 4⅓ oz (120 g) |
| 10 in (26 cm) | 6⅔ oz (200 g) |
| 12 in (30 cm) | 9⅔ oz (265 g) |
| 14 in (36 cm) | 13.1 oz (380 g) |
| 16 in (40 cm) | 10¼ oz (470 g) |
| 18 in (46 cm) | 13 oz (620 g) |
If you are wondering how much dough is needed for a 12 inch pizza, then the answer using the table would be about 265 grams or about 9⅔ ounces. Using our pizza dough calculator you can get an approximate amount of pizza dough required and it works for many different styles and sizes of pizza. Simply specify the pizza type and dimensions and it will tell you approximately how much dough is needed.
Pizza dough hydration tips
Dough hydration is a key parameter in getting the perfect pizza dough. It is the amount of water in it expressed as a percentage of the amount of flour. For example, if you decide to use 60% hydration and you have 1,000g of flour, then the water content would be 60/100 · 1,000 = 0.6 · 1,000 = 600 grams (~21 oz) of water for that amount of flour. 600 g of water is roughly 590 ml or about 20 fluid ounces. Getting the dough mixture right based on the weight of the required amount of dough is not as trivial to do manually, which is why a Baker's Math pizza calculator like ours is very handy.
For 00 type flour, which is highly recommended for pizzas, the recommended water content is in the range of 55 to 60%, with some flours reaching 65%. If using bread flour 58-62% hydration is recommended.
If you choose to go with a higher hydration, it would lead to increased swelling of starch and proteins as well as rapid conversion of sugars. This results in higher yeast activity, meaning faster fermentation. The resulting pizza dough is wetter, softer, and stickier, with the latter being a challenge to work with. Too high a hydration also means it is very hard to get the thin layer of pizza required in a classic Neapolitan-style pizza or a New York-style pizza, for example.
There are benefits in going with a slightly lower hydration, especially for beginners, since lower hydration means the dough becomes drier, firmer, and stronger, making it easier to knead and shape, without sacrificing anything.
How much yeast for pizza dough?
The amount of yeast needed is in direct link to the proofing time and the proofing temperature of the dough. Typical proofing times are between 8h and 24h. Durations longer than 24h are not recommended since most flours are not well-suited to such prolonged fermentation, while durations below 8h do not provide sufficient flavor and texture to the dough and it may also be harder to work with.
The other variable is the proofing temperature, with the ideal temperature for pizza dough falling somewhere between 21-25°C, meaning your typical room temperature. The way to control the dough temperature is through water, with a special caveat that using water which is too warm can have disastrous consequences for the consistency of your dough, making it too loose and soft. For example, to achieve a dough temperature of 22°C given an ambient temperature of 22°C and flour temperature of 22°C, the water temperature has to be 58 - (22 + 22) = 58 - 44 = 14°C.
The default amount of instant yeast of 0.07% - 0.08% in our pizza dough calculator is suitable for a proofing time of 12h at about 22°C. For 24h proofing at around 22°C use 0.025% yeast.
Cite this calculator & page
If you'd like to cite this online calculator resource and information as provided on the page, you can use the following citation:
Georgiev G.Z., "Pizza Dough Calculator", [online] Available at: https://www.gigacalculator.com/calculators/pizza-dough-calculator.php URL [Accessed Date: 21 Aug, 2025].