How to read a cookware size chart
Indian cookware sizes are not inches, not litres and not centimetres. Here is what the numbers actually mean.
New buyers are often thrown by an Indian size chart. A "size 36" patila is not 36 of anything obvious. Once you know how to read one, specifying becomes straightforward.
The size number is a trade convention
The size number is a traditional trade designation. It correlates with diameter but it is not equal to it in any unit — a size 36 patila has an inner diameter of 18 inches, and a size 36 milk kadai has a diameter of 34 inches. Different products, different relationships.
So never order by size number alone across product types. Use the actual dimensions.
What the columns mean
Thickness (mm). The gauge of the plate or sheet. The single most important number, because it determines thermal behaviour and lifespan. See gauge guide.
Inner / outer diameter (in). Inner diameter is the usable width. Outer is what has to fit your burner and your shelf. On tapered vessels there will be separate top and bottom figures.
Height / depth (in). Determines usable volume and whether it will fit under an extractor or inside a chiller.
Weight (kg). The empty weight of the vessel — and the most honest specification on the sheet, because it is a direct consequence of how much metal is present. It also tells you what your staff will be lifting when it is full.
Capacity (L or kg). Brim-full capacity. Real working capacity is roughly 80% of it — you cannot fill a vessel to the rim and still stir or carry it.
The mistake almost everyone makes
Capacity figures are brim-full. If you need to cook 100 litres of dal, do not buy a 100-litre vessel. Buy a 125-litre one and run it at 80%.
Our patila chart runs from 25 to 125 litres for exactly this reason: so there is a size above the one you think you need.
Worked example
You cook 40 kg of biryani per service. On the biryani degda chart, size 22 is listed at 40 kg capacity — which is brim-full, so it is the wrong choice for a 40 kg batch. Size 24, at 60 kg, gives you working room.
Check the physical numbers too: size 24 is 24 inches inner diameter and 24 inches high. Will it fit your burner, and can two people lift 37 kg of empty vessel plus 40 kg of food?
What is not on the chart
- Lid, unless stated. On our patila range, weight with lid is a separate column.
- Handle projection, which adds to the width you need to accommodate.
- Tolerances. These are nominal manufacturing figures, and hand-finished vessels vary slightly.
If a dimension is critical — fitting an existing burner or a specific rack — tell us the constraint and we will confirm before you order.
Specifying cookware for your kitchen?
Every product on this site publishes its full size chart — gauge, dimensions and weight for every size. If you would rather just describe the job, we will tell you what to order.
