The short answer
For tall (about 4-inch) round tiers cut into wedding-size slices, the most widely used chart gives 6″ = 12, 8″ = 24, 10″ = 38 and 12″ = 56 servings. A 6″ on 8″ cake serves about 36. Party slices are bigger, so you get roughly two thirds as many.
Two slice sizes
Every serving chart is built on a slice size, and that is why charts disagree. This page uses two:
- Wedding slice: about 1 × 2 inches across the top, cut from a tier about 4 inches tall. This is the slim slice served at weddings and big events.
- Party slice: about 1.5 × 2 inches, from the same 4-inch-tall tier. This is closer to what most people expect at a birthday.
Tell your customer which one you are quoting. “Serves 36” means something very different to a wedding planner and a parent planning a party.
Round cakes
| Tier size | Wedding slices | Party slices (about) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 inch | 12 | 8 |
| 8 inch | 24 | 16 |
| 9 inch | 32 | 21 |
| 10 inch | 38 | 25 |
| 12 inch | 56 | 37 |
| 14 inch | 78 | 52 |
| 16 inch | 100 | 67 |
The wedding column matches the figures most bakers and serving charts use. The party column is worked out from it: a party slice is 1.5 times the size, so you get about two thirds as many. Cutting round cakes into neat slices always wastes a little at the edges, so real counts vary.
Square cakes
| Tier size | Wedding slices | Party slices (about) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 inch | 18 | 12 |
| 8 inch | 32 | 21 |
| 10 inch | 50 | 33 |
| 12 inch | 72 | 48 |
| 14 inch | 98 | 65 |
Squares cut cleanly into a grid, so the math is simple: top area ÷ slice area. A 10-inch square is 100 square inches, which gives 50 slices at 2 square inches each or 33 at 3 square inches.
Sheet cakes
Sheet cakes are usually 2 to 3 inches tall and cut into square pieces, so they are counted differently:
| Pan size | 2 × 2 in pieces | 2 × 3 in pieces |
|---|---|---|
| 9 × 13 in (quarter sheet) | 29 | 19 |
| 11 × 15 in | 41 | 27 |
| 12 × 18 in (half sheet) | 54 | 36 |
| 18 × 24 in | 108 | 72 |
“Half sheet” and “full sheet” mean different pan sizes at different bakeries, so always quote the pan size or the number of servings, not just the name.
Popular tier combinations
| Tiers | Wedding slices | Party slices (about) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 + 8 in | 36 | 24 |
| 6 + 8 + 10 in | 74 | 49 |
| 8 + 10 + 12 in | 118 | 78 |
| 6 + 9 + 12 in | 100 | 66 |
| 6 + 8 + 10 + 12 in | 130 | 86 |
Using servings to price a cake
Once you know the servings, you can quote in a way customers understand: a price per serving. Work it out from your real costs, not a number you have seen online:
- Cost the whole cake: ingredients, boards and boxes, overhead and your hours. The cake pricing calculator has a tier mode that adds up servings from this chart.
- Divide the price by the servings to get your price per serving.
- Quote new cakes as servings × your per-serving price, plus extras like sugar flowers, delivery and setup.
Planning for a top tier to save? Many couples keep the top tier, so it does not get served. Count only the tiers that will be cut when you match servings to the guest list.