Compare any two pans by area and get the multiplier to keep your batter the perfect depth.
Your recipe’s pan
The pan you want to use
Only have a 9×13 pan when the recipe calls for two 9-inch rounds? The safest way to substitute a pan isn’t by width — it’s by area, because area is what determines how deep your batter sits and therefore how it bakes. This tool compares the two pans and tells you how much to scale the recipe to keep the same depth, plus how to adjust your timing.
| Pan | Approx. area |
|---|---|
| 8-inch round | 50 in² |
| 9-inch round | 64 in² |
| 8-inch square | 64 in² |
| 9-inch square | 81 in² |
| 9×13 rectangle | 117 in² |
| 9×5 loaf | 45 in² |
Baking a scaled cake? Pair this with our baking scaling guide.
Almost exactly — two 9-inch rounds total about 128 in² and a 9×13 is about 117 in², so a single 9×13 works well. Expect a slightly thicker cake and a few extra minutes.
Keep the temperature the same and adjust the time instead. A shallower bake finishes sooner; a deeper one takes longer.
It means the new pan is larger, so you’d need that much more batter to reach the same depth. You can either scale the recipe up or accept a thinner, faster-baking result.