What size eggs does this recipe mean?
Medium to large, UK to US to Australian, worked out by the weight of egg a recipe is actually asking for.
Free. No signup needed.The short answer
A US large egg is 50 g of egg once the shell is off. A UK large is 61 g and a UK medium is 52 g, so the UK egg that matches an American large is the medium. An American recipe asking for three large eggs wants about 151 g: three UK medium gives 155 g, three UK large gives 182 g, a fifth too much and a rubbery sponge. Australia and New Zealand are a third system again, where a Large 600 g carton is about 45 g of egg.
What size eggs does this recipe mean?
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What the recipe asks for
What is in your fridge
Use
2 + 30 g
Large (UK grading)
Egg the recipe wants
151 g
Beaten whole egg, no shell
Whites in that
100 g
About two thirds
Yolks in that
51 g
About one third
2 whole large eggs plus 30 g of a beaten one. Crack an extra egg, beat it, and weigh that much in.
The bit that catches people out
A large egg in the US and Canada is 57 g in the shell, or about 50 g of actual egg. The closest thing to it where you shop is a medium, not a large. Sizes are graded differently in each country and the same word means a different egg.
Every figure here is beaten whole egg with the shell off, which is about 89 percent of the graded weight. If a recipe splits whites and yolks, count on roughly two thirds white to one third yolk. When the numbers do not divide cleanly, beat one extra egg and weigh in what you need. That is what a bakery does, and it is more accurate than rounding.
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Start free trialEgg size charts
| UK & Ireland | Egg you use | Closest US or Canadian | Closest Australian or NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 43 g | Medium44 g | Large (600 g)45 g |
| Medium | 52 g | Large50 g | Extra Large (700 g)52 g |
| Large | 61 g | Jumbo63 g | Jumbo (800 g)59 g |
| Very Large | 69 g | Jumbo63 g | Jumbo (800 g)59 g |
This is the row that catches people out. A UK large egg is closest to a US extra large, and a US large egg is closest to a UK medium. An American recipe asking for three large eggs wants about 150 g of egg, which is three UK medium, not three UK large.
Egg sizes in the UK, Ireland and the EU
| UK & Ireland | Graded as | In the shell | Egg you use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Under 53 g | 48 g | 43 g |
| Medium | 53 to 63 g | 58 g | 52 g |
| Large | 63 to 73 g | 68 g | 61 g |
| Very Large | 73 g and over | 78 g | 69 g |
Graded per egg, in the shell, in four bands. The last column is beaten whole egg with the shell off, which is what a recipe is actually measuring.
Egg sizes in the US and Canada
| US & Canada | Graded as | In the shell | Egg you use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 18 oz per dozen | 43 g | 38 g |
| Medium | 21 oz per dozen | 50 g | 44 g |
| Large | 24 oz per dozen | 57 g | 50 g |
| Extra Large | 27 oz per dozen | 64 g | 57 g |
| Jumbo | 30 oz per dozen | 71 g | 63 g |
Graded by minimum weight per dozen, then quoted per egg. The last column is beaten whole egg with the shell off, which is what a recipe is actually measuring.
Egg sizes in Australia and New Zealand
| Australia & NZ | Graded as | In the shell | Egg you use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (400 g) | 400 g per dozen | 33 g | 30 g |
| Medium (500 g) | 500 g per dozen | 42 g | 37 g |
| Large (600 g) | 600 g per dozen | 50 g | 45 g |
| Extra Large (700 g) | 700 g per dozen | 58 g | 52 g |
| Jumbo (800 g) | 800 g per dozen | 67 g | 59 g |
Sold by minimum weight per carton of a dozen. The last column is beaten whole egg with the shell off, which is what a recipe is actually measuring.
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Why the same word means a different egg
Large is not a size, it is a grade, and every country draws the line somewhere else.
The finding
A US large egg and a UK large egg are not the same egg
A US large is 56.7 g in the shell, about 50 g of egg. A UK large is 63 to 73 g in the shell, about 61 g of egg. That is a fifth more egg going into the same recipe, and on a sponge a fifth more egg is the difference between a tender crumb and a rubbery one. The UK egg that matches a US large is the medium: 58 g in the shell, 52 g of egg. So three large eggs in an American recipe means three UK medium. If the rest of the recipe needs converting too, scale a recipe up or down handles the quantities.
Grams
Weigh the egg and the problem disappears
A grade is only a way of naming a weight, and the weight is the part a recipe cares about. Shell is about 11 percent, so the egg you use is 89 percent of what the box says. A 68 g UK large is 61 g of egg. A 56.7 g US large is 50 g. Crack them onto the scale and no chart is needed. It is the same habit that makes a cake flour substitute come out right instead of close.
Australia and NZ
A third system, sold by the carton
Australia and New Zealand grade by the minimum weight of the whole dozen, so the number on the carton is not the egg. A Large 600 g box is 50 g an egg in the shell, about 45 g of egg. That is smaller than a US large and well under a UK large. The closest Australian grade to a US large is the Extra Large 700 g, at 52 g of egg.
Part eggs
Beat an extra one and weigh in the difference
Grades rarely divide cleanly, and the honest answer is a whole number plus a bit. Three UK large eggs is 182 g of egg, which is three UK medium plus 27 g of a fourth beaten one. Under about a fifth of an egg, ignore it: the gap is smaller than the variation between two eggs in the same box. This is what a bakery does, and it is why the calculator hands you grams rather than rounding on your behalf. Add a whole egg you did not need and it also changes how much batter your tin takes.
Whites and yolks
Two thirds white, one third yolk
A UK large egg is about 40 g of white and 21 g of yolk. A US large is 33 g and 17 g. Recipes that split the egg are where size hurts most, because a meringue or a macaron is a ratio rather than a list, and a fifth more white will show. If you are short of eggs altogether, baking substitutions has the swaps that work and the ones that do not.
FAQ
Common questions
How many medium eggs equal 2 large eggs?
Two mediums plus about 18 g of a third beaten one. Two UK large eggs are 121 g of egg and a UK medium is 52 g, so two mediums on their own leave you 15 percent short. If the recipe is American, its two large eggs are only 101 g, which is two UK medium almost exactly.
Can I use 2 large eggs instead of 3 medium?
Not on their own. Three UK medium eggs are 155 g of egg and two UK large are 121 g, so you would be 22 percent short. Beat a third large egg and weigh in about 34 g of it. A loaf or a traybake will forgive the gap. A sponge will not.
Is a UK large egg the same as a US large egg?
No, and it is the trap the whole chart exists for. A US large is 56.7 g in the shell, about 50 g of egg. A UK large is 63 to 73 g, about 61 g of egg, a fifth bigger. The UK egg that matches a US large is the medium.
How many grams is a large egg without the shell?
About 61 g for a UK or Irish large, and about 50 g for a US or Canadian large. Shell is roughly 11 percent of the weight on the box, so the egg you use is 89 percent of it. A UK medium is about 52 g and an Australian Large 600 g is about 45 g.
How many large eggs is 200 g of egg?
Four US large, which come to 202 g. In the UK it is three large plus about 18 g of a fourth beaten one, because a UK large is 61 g of egg. Weigh it in rather than counting if the recipe is a sponge.
What size are large eggs in Australia?
A Large carton is 600 g minimum for the dozen, so 50 g an egg in the shell and about 45 g of egg. New Zealand uses the same system. That is under a US large at 50 g of egg and well under a UK large at 61 g. The Australian Extra Large 700 g carton is the closer match to a US large.
What is the UK equivalent of an extra large egg?
By name, a UK Very Large: the top British grade is called Very Large, not Extra Large, and there is no UK Jumbo. By weight it is the UK large you want. A US extra large is 63.8 g in the shell, about 57 g of egg, just under a UK large at 61 g. A UK Very Large is 73 g and over, which is too much.
Does egg size really matter in baking?
It matters wherever the egg is the structure. A sponge, a genoise, a macaron or a custard will show a fifth more egg as rubbery, wet or split. A traybake, a loaf or cookies absorb the difference. Scrambled, it makes no difference at all.
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