I'm looking at different half-sheet cake pans and the size seems to vary. I've seen 11x15, 12x18...getting confused! What is a standard half-sheet size?

I use the 11x15 for my 1/2 but from what I have seen on here, the 12x18 is technically the "correct size" for a 1/2. But the 1/2 sheet cake boards I have don't fit the 12x18 either. I know that doesn't really help, but that is what I do.

Well, my quarter sheet is 9x13, so 11x15 doesn't seem quite right. I think 12x18.

The terms "Half" and "full" stem from commercial bakery pans that are (I believe) 18x26. If you cut it in half, you have an 18x13 ... cut that in half (now you have 4 quarters) and you have 9x13.

That said, for those who are enamored with using those terms ..... I refuse to use them. I am amazed, when people ask "how much for a half sheet?", and I ask them "how big is that?" ... that they say "I don't know." SO HOW DO THEY KNOW HOW MUCH CAKE THEY ARE ORDERING THEN????

One guy asked for pricing for a full sheet cake. My standard reply: How many people do you want to feed? his answer? "10". yeah ... the guy asked for pricing for a FULL sheet cake to feed 10 people.

They use the terms and they've no idea. I guess they think it's cool to use industry lingo or something.

So I refuse to use the terms. I ask how many people they are planning on feeding and I recommend the size that will work for that.

Dont' get hung up on "industry lingo".

I agree with debi, I ask how many people they want to serve and I go off of that for size and price. That is more important the naming your sizes anyway.

I always ask how many they would like to serve also. However, if you are wanting to use the 1/4 sheet, 1/2 sheet (more people in my area tend to do that) then this is what I have experienced and been told:

1/4 sheet = 9x13
1/3 sheet = 11x15
1/2 sheet = 12x18
2/3 sheet = (2) 11x15 = 15x22
full sheet = (2) 12x18 = 18x24

Unless you order the commercial sheet pans, this is what you have and get.

just throwing this out there since you are pan shopping, I found magic line pans on Amazon for a really good price.

Thanks for all for all of the advice. I am on my way to check out Amazon's pans. Debi, I think you're absolutely right about people using industry lingo. I know I've never had a clue what those terms meant and when I ordered a cake, I would always ask to see an example of the size and how many it served.