Turkish Copper Cookware Sizes in Quarts, Inches and Fluid Ounces

Turkish copper cookware sizes are stated in centimeters for diameter, milliliters or liters for capacity and millimeters for sheet thickness, plus a series number such as “3 No”. To read them in US units, divide centimeters by 2.54 for inches and milliliters by 946 for US quarts, and ignore the series number as a measure of size.

Why a Turkish “No” number is not a size

A Turkish “No” number marks a body’s position inside one product series, smallest first, and is not a unit of capacity or diameter. In the coffee pot data a “1 No” holds anywhere from 90 ml to 540 ml depending on the series, and a “3 No” runs from 190 ml to 1,120 ml, so orders should quote measurements.

A Turkish copper listing typically reads like this: series name, the word for the vessel, a number followed by “No”, and then the finish. “Kervan cezve 3 No” or “güveç tencere 2 No” are ordinary examples. The number is the workshop’s way of telling the bodies of one series apart, counted from the smallest upward. It is the same idea as calling a set of nesting bowls “one to five”. It is a convenient label inside a family and a poor way to compare two families.

The coffee pot data makes the point most clearly. In our catalogue records a “1 No” cezve holds 90 ml in one thin-walled series, 150 ml in the thicker version of the same series, 200 ml in another line and 540 ml in the milk-pot series. A “3 No” holds 190 ml, 230 ml, 250 ml, 350 ml, 580 ml or 1,120 ml, again depending on the series. One number spans six different capacities. Anyone who builds a single “3 No equals X ounces” table from that range will be wrong for most of the catalogue.

Cookware behaves the same way. In the two-handled pots the “1 No” body is 16 cm (6.3 in) across in the tall and the low form alike, which looks reassuringly consistent until the güveç casseroles appear: there, “1 No” is 12 cm (4.7 in) in the mini series and 18 cm (7.1 in) in the larger one. In one single-handled series the data even lists the same number against two neighboring diameters. The frying pans are the most regular family, with “1 No” at 14 cm (5.5 in) in most series, yet the lidded frying pan series starts its “1 No” at 18 cm (7.1 in).

The practical rule is short. Read the series number as a name, and read the centimeters and milliliters as the size. When you send a list, write the measurement you need first and add the Turkish number only as a cross-reference, so that a line reading “cezve, about 250 ml (8.5 fl oz), four cups” cannot be misread, while “3 No cezve” can be filled correctly from several different series and still be wrong for your menu.

The three conversions behind every line

Converting Turkish copper sizes to US units takes three factors. One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, one US liquid quart is about 946 milliliters and one US fluid ounce is about 29.57 milliliters. Sheet thickness converts the same way as length: divide millimeters by 25.4 to get inches, then round to three decimals.

The inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 cm since the international yard and pound agreement, and the US liquid quart is a quarter of a US gallon, which works out to 0.946 liters. Both values are set out in the US National Institute of Standards and Technology’s guide to SI units, NIST Special Publication 811, and its unit conversion resources. NIST’s page on SI units of volume adds the identity that makes capacity arithmetic easy: one cubic centimeter is one milliliter.

Two cautions keep the conversions honest. First, a US cup is not the same as a Turkish coffee cup or a tea glass: the US customary cup is 8 fluid ounces, about 237 ml, while the small cups used for Turkish coffee hold a fraction of that. Second, a British quart is larger than an American one, so a converted figure from a UK supplier will not match a US recipe. Everything on this page uses US customary units.

Rounding is the last thing to agree. We convert to one decimal place for inches and quarts and to the nearest tenth of a fluid ounce, and we keep the metric figure on the same line. If your product listing, packaging or spec sheet needs a different rounding rule, say so on the enquiry; it is easier to print the figure you want than to reconcile two rounded versions later.

Copper pot sizes in US quarts

Copper pot sizes in our catalogue data run from a 14 cm (5.5 in) milk and sauce pot holding 900 ml (about 1 qt) to two-handled pots of 36 cm (14.2 in). Recorded capacities on the tall series rise from 1.5 L (1.6 qt) to 6.5 L (6.9 qt); the largest diameters have no recorded capacity.

A tencere is a Turkish cooking pot, and the word covers both a two-handled body and a single-handled saucepan. Most of the useful sizes come from the two-handled bodies, in a tall and a low form. The taller one, listed under the series name İtalyan, has a wall that rises from about 8.5 cm (3.3 in) on the smallest body to 13 cm (5.1 in) from 26 cm upward. The lower one, the karnıyarık series named after the stuffed-eggplant dish, keeps a wall of about 7 cm to 8 cm (2.8 to 3.1 in) across its whole range. The shapes themselves, and what a Western kitchen would call each of them, are covered on our guide to copper pot and pan shapes; this section deals only with the numbers.

The blanks are deliberate. For the tall series at 28, 30 and 32 cm the data lists the same 7 L figure against all three diameters, and three bodies of different width with the same wall cannot hold the same amount, so we do not repeat that figure as a capacity. For the largest bodies no capacity is recorded at all. Those figures are measured and written on the quotation for the model you choose, and we would rather leave a cell empty than fill it with a guess that ends up on your menu card or product page.

Single-handled pots are recorded mostly by diameter and wall height. The single-handled series runs from 16 cm to 36 cm (6.3 to 14.2 in) with a wall of about 10 cm (3.9 in) on most bodies, but capacity is recorded for only a few of them, so it is stated per model on the quotation. The small milk and sauce pot is the exception that is fully recorded: 14 cm across, 7 cm (2.8 in) tall and 900 ml, which is just under a US quart.

Matching US pot sizes to Turkish bodies

US recipes size pots in quarts. A 1-quart saucepan corresponds to our 14 cm milk and sauce pot, a 2-quart pot to an 18 cm tall-series body or a 20 cm low body, a 3-quart to a 20 cm tall body, a 4-quart to 22 cm and a 5-quart to 24 cm. An 8-quart stockpot has no counterpart.

American cookware is sold and specified by volume. A recipe asks for a 3-quart saucepan, a restaurant opening list calls for 6-quart braisers, and a gift set is described as “1.5, 2 and 3 quart”. Turkish copper is listed the other way round, by diameter first. The table below turns the common US sizes into the nearest recorded Turkish body. It matches on recorded capacity only, and where nothing recorded is close, it says so instead of stretching a match.

The 2-quart line shows why footprint matters as much as volume. The 18 cm tall body and the 20 cm low body hold the same 2 liters, yet one stands on a small burner and gives a deep column of liquid that reduces slowly, while the other spreads the same volume over a wider base where it browns and reduces faster. A US spec that says only “2-qt pot” leaves that choice open. A line that says “2-qt, about 18 cm (7 in) across, for rice and sauces” closes it.

The stockpot is a real gap, and we state it as one. A Western stockpot is taller than it is wide; no copper body in our range has that proportion, and the tallest wall in the data is 13 cm (5.1 in). A tall copper pot can be raised as a made-to-order question with a drawing, a target diameter and height, and a quantity, as described on our custom copper manufacturing page. The quantity decides whether a new form pays for itself, and you hear that answer before anyone cuts metal.

Kitchens with induction ranges should know one limit before choosing any pot here: copper is not magnetic, so a copper pot does not work on an induction cooktop unless a separate steel interface disc sits under it, and the disc slows the response you buy copper for. The details are on copper and induction. On gas and electric ranges no adapter is needed.

Copper pan sizes in inches

Copper pan sizes in our frying pan (tava) data run from 14 cm (5.5 in) to 27 cm (10.6 in) across, mostly in 2 cm steps. An 8-inch skillet corresponds to our 20 cm pan, a 9-inch to 23 or 24 cm, and a 10-inch to the 27 cm body. Nothing recorded reaches a 12-inch skillet.

Frying pans are where US buyers think in inches, and where the conversion is easiest, because diameter is recorded for almost every pan. The recorded diameters are 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24 and 27 cm, plus a deeper flared wok body of 25 cm (9.8 in). In most series the numbering is regular, with “1 No” at 14 cm and “5 No” at 22 cm, but the lidded series starts at 18 cm, which is one more reason to order by the centimeter.

The wall heights matter more than they look. Every recorded frying pan wall sits between 4.3 cm and 5.8 cm (1.7 to 2.3 in), which is a frying pan’s depth, not a sauté pan’s. A buyer looking for a “10-inch copper pan” for searing and pan sauces will find the 27 cm body a close match. A buyer who means a deep 10-inch sauté pan with a lid should read the lidded frying pan family and the low pots in the shapes guide, because the depth is different.

Past 27 cm the range changes shape. The open copper griddle, the sac, is recorded from 16 cm to 36 cm (6.3 to 14.2 in), and it is the nearest thing to a 12- or 14-inch pan, but it is an almost rimless disc for searing rather than a skillet; it has its own page on copper griddles. The shallow pans Turkish cafés serve eggs in are covered by portion on the Turkish sahan, so this page does not repeat that sizing.

Where a diameter is measured, and why it matters

A cookware diameter can be measured across the top rim, across the inside of the rim or across the base, and the three figures differ. US retailers commonly quote skillets across the top rim. Our catalogue data records one diameter per body without naming the measuring point, so that point is confirmed on the approved sample.

This is the detail that most often turns a correct order into a disappointed one. A pan with sloped sides can measure 24 cm across the rim and noticeably less across the flat cooking surface. A pot with a rolled rim is wider outside than inside. A stand, a burner ring, a rack or a shelf cares about the outside measurement; a recipe that says “a single layer of chicken thighs” cares about the base.

In American retail it is common for a skillet’s stated size to be taken across the top, so a “10-inch skillet” usually cooks on a smaller flat area. Turkish listings give one number per body, and the data does not record whether that number is rim or base for each series. We say this openly rather than pick an answer for you. One example from another product family shows how far apart two readings of “size” can be: a copper foot basin sold as 40 cm (15.7 in) measures 43 cm (16.9 in) across in the wholesale catalogue, as explained on our page about copper pedicure bowls.

The fix is simple and costs nothing on the enquiry. If any dimension has to fit something, name the dimension and the thing it has to fit: “outside diameter at the rim, to fit a 25 cm (9.8 in) warming stand”, “base diameter for a 20 cm burner”, “overall width including handles, to fit a 36 cm (14.2 in) shelf”. We measure the sample you approve and write those exact figures on the quotation, and the approved sample then becomes the reference the batch is checked against.

Handles change overall width more than buyers expect. Two loop handles add several centimeters to a pot’s footprint, and a long pan handle can double the length of the space a frying pan needs on a shelf or under a heat lamp. Where width with handles matters, ask for it as a separate figure.

Güveç and mini serving pots in fluid ounces

Copper güveç casseroles are recorded in mini and larger sizes. The mini bodies hold 450 ml (15.2 fl oz), 650 ml (22 fl oz) and 850 ml (28.7 fl oz) at 12, 13 and 14 cm. The larger bodies hold 2.2 L (2.3 qt), 2.8 L (3.0 qt) and 3.4 L (3.6 qt) at 18, 20 and 22 cm.

In a Turkish kitchen the güveç doubles as the serving dish, so its size is really a portion size. For a US restaurant the useful units are fluid ounces for a single portion and quarts for a sharing pot, and the recorded bodies fall neatly on either side of that line.

Recorded capacity is volume to the brim, not a serving size. A 450 ml mini güveç does not carry 15 ounces of stew to the table, because nobody fills a portion pot to the lid; a working portion sits comfortably below the rim. Plan menu portions from the volume you actually serve and use the brim figure only to confirm it fits.

The “1 No” in this family is the clearest illustration of the numbering problem on this page: it is 12 cm in the mini series and 18 cm in the larger one, so the same label covers a single-portion pot and a pot for a family table. Menus built around these pots, their behavior in the oven and how copper compares with the clay original are the subject of our page on copper güveç and mini serving pots.

Turkish coffee pot sizes in fluid ounces and cups

Turkish coffee pot sizes in our data run from 90 ml (3 fl oz) for a single cup to 580 ml (19.6 fl oz) for seven cups, with a separate milk-pot series reaching 1,120 ml (37.9 fl oz). Listings name the cups each pot pours, and that cup count is the figure to order by.

Our Turkish coffee pots page explains why a cezve is chosen in cups rather than milliliters: the pot is never filled to the rim, because the foam needs room to rise. What that page does not give is the conversion, and that is what this table adds. It lists recorded capacities and the cup counts printed in the product names, series by series, because the same number means a different pot in each series.

Read across one row and the numbering is tidy; read down one column and it falls apart. The thin-walled Kervan “1 No” is a one-cup pot of 90 ml, while the thick-walled Kervan “1 No” and the Sultan “1 No” both pour two cups, from 150 ml and 200 ml respectively. A “3 No” pours three cups in one series, four in several others and seven in the heavy series, and the milk pot’s “3 No” is more than a liter.

Dividing each recorded capacity by the cups named in its listing gives roughly 60 ml to 100 ml (2 to 3.4 fl oz) of pot per cup across the range. That is pot volume per serving, including the headroom the foam needs, not the size of the cup. Turkish coffee cups are small and broadly comparable to an espresso demitasse, but cup sizes vary from one maker to the next, so we do not give a single figure for them. If your café uses a particular cup, send its capacity and we will match the pot to it.

For a US café menu the usable translation is therefore cups, with fluid ounces in parentheses: “two-cup cezve (about 5 to 7 fl oz)”, “four-cup cezve (about 8 to 13 fl oz)”. Sizing a whole counter service, with trays and sugar bowls, is covered on the Turkish coffee set.

Teapots, samovars and trays

Copper teapot sizes need two figures, because a Turkish çaydanlık is a kettle with a steeping pot on top. Recorded steeping pots hold 500 ml (16.9 fl oz), 800 ml (27.1 fl oz) and 1,300 ml (44 fl oz). The stacked çaydanlık sets are listed only by “No” number, so their capacities are confirmed on the quotation.

The two-tier Turkish teapot is where the “No” number carries the least information. The stacked sets are listed as 1 No, 2 No and 3 No, with thin or thick wall, and no capacity is recorded for either tier. We do not convert a number into quarts when no volume stands behind it. If you are planning a tea service, the volumes of both bodies are measured and written on the quotation. How a steeping pot is sized against the glasses it serves is set out on our wholesale copper teapots page, which reaches the same conclusion about pot numbers.

The heaters that hold a teapot warm over a flame are listed by diameter, at 22 cm (8.7 in) and 25 cm (9.8 in), and the large samovar bodies are recorded at 22 L, about 5.8 US gallons, with a 31 cm (12.2 in) diameter on the one body where diameter is recorded. A samovar of that capacity is an urn for a hotel or an event rather than a household piece; it has its own page on copper samovars.

Trays convert by diameter, and the useful comparison for a US buyer is area. Round copper baking trays are recorded from 16 cm to 36 cm (6.3 to 14.2 in) across, with walls of 4 cm to 5.5 cm (1.6 to 2.2 in) where recorded. The largest round body covers about 1,018 cm², roughly 158 square inches, which is more than the 117 square inches of a standard 9 by 13 inch pan, although the round shape fits rectangular portions less tidily. Round serving trays are recorded at 34 cm (13.4 in) with a 1.5 cm (0.6 in) rim. Oven use and lining for the baking trays are covered on copper baking trays, and serving trays on hammered copper trays.

Copper pot thickness in millimeters and inches

Copper pot thickness in our catalogue data runs from 0.50 mm (0.020 in) on light serving bodies to 1.30 mm (0.051 in) on the heaviest frying pans. Pots are recorded between 0.50 and 1.00 mm (0.020 to 0.039 in), and coffee pots between 0.50 and 1.25 mm (0.020 to 0.049 in), always as measured sheet.

Thickness is the one size figure that US buyers sometimes meet in a third unit, sheet-metal gauge. We do not convert to gauge. Gauge tables differ from one metal to another, and a gauge number means a different thickness for copper than it does for steel, so a converted gauge invites the very confusion this page is trying to remove. Millimeters, with inches to three decimal places, are unambiguous.

Thickness varies inside a series as well as between them. In one frying pan series the sheet rises from 1.00 mm on the 14 cm body to 1.30 mm on the 20 and 22 cm bodies; in a lighter series the whole run sits between 0.50 and 0.70 mm. A heavier sheet holds heat and resists denting, while a lighter one responds faster and weighs less in the hand. Neither is better in the abstract, and what each thickness does in daily use is discussed on our page about solid copper versus copper-clad. For sizing purposes the rule is the same as for diameter: state the figure you need in millimeters, and it is confirmed per model on the quotation.

Estimating a pot’s capacity from its measurements

A straight-walled pot’s brim capacity can be estimated from its diameter and wall height. In metric, multiply 0.785 by the diameter squared and by the height, all in centimeters, to get milliliters. In US units, multiply 0.0136 by the diameter squared and by the height in inches to get quarts.

The formula is the volume of a cylinder, π × radius² × height, rearranged for diameter. Because one cubic centimeter is one milliliter, a pot of 20 cm diameter and 9.5 cm height gives 0.785 × 400 × 9.5, or about 2,985 ml. In inches the same pot is 7.9 by 3.7, and 0.0136 × 7.9² × 3.7 gives about 3.1 quarts. The two answers agree once rounding is allowed for.

Recorded capacity and the calculated figure are close but not identical, and the gap is informative. On the straight-walled two-handled pots most recorded figures sit within about 15 percent of the calculation, in both directions: below it on most bodies, slightly above it on two, and about a quarter below it on the smallest low pot. Rims, rounded bases and the point at which diameter and height were taken all move the result. Rounded shapes depart much further: the mini güveç pots hold only about 60 percent of the cylinder their diameter and height describe, because the belly curves in at the base and the shoulder.

Use the formula to check a figure, not to replace one. It is useful when a listing gives diameter and height but no capacity, or when you want to know whether a stated capacity is plausible before it goes into a recipe card. For anything that has to be exact, such as a portion that is costed by volume or a product page that states capacity to a retail customer, ask for the measured figure on the quotation.

Writing sizes on a US order and on a product listing

A US order for Turkish copper cookware should state each size as a measurement first, with the US unit in parentheses and the Turkish series number only as a reference. A clear line reads: two-handled pot, 22 cm (8.7 in), about 4 L (4.2 qt), lid, tin-lined interior, finish, quantity.

Writing both units on the same line removes the conversion step from the person reading it in Türkiye and from the person checking the delivery in the US. A few examples of lines that come back answered rather than queried:

• Saucepan, single handle, 14 cm (5.5 in), about 900 ml (1 qt), tin-lined, red copper, quantity.
• Two-handled pot, 18 cm (7.1 in), about 2 L (2.1 qt), lid, tin-lined, hammered, quantity.
• Frying pan, 27 cm (10.6 in) at the rim, tin-lined, hammered, quantity.
• Güveç, 12 cm (4.7 in), about 450 ml (15 fl oz) to the brim, lid, quantity.
• Cezve, four cups, about 230 to 380 ml (8 to 13 fl oz), tin-lined, quantity.

Interior lining belongs on every cooking line. Lining is not recorded in the catalogue data, so the quotation names it model by model; for any surface that meets food, specify tin. The US rule behind that, the FDA Food Code’s restriction on bare copper in contact with food below pH 6, is explained on our food contact and compliance page; the code itself is published by the FDA. These pieces carry no food contact certificate from us. Where a retail partner or a state inspector expects a laboratory report, raise it at the enquiry stage and testing is arranged before production rather than after delivery.

Retailers listing the pieces on their own stores should carry both units on the product page as well. A US customer reads “2 qt” and “7 in”; a customer comparing with European copper reads liters and centimeters. Showing both, with the measuring point named, prevents most size-related returns. On the packaging and the piece, the country of origin for the US market is marked “Made in Turkey”, the form US Customs accepts under 19 CFR Part 134; the wider import steps are on importing copper cookware and wholesale copper for the USA.

How an order is filled follows from the list. When a size you need is a recorded body, we select it from the catalogue, check it and quote it as it is. Sizes outside the recorded range, a stockpot proportion for instance, a 12-inch frying pan or a diameter between two steps, are made by our Kahramanmaraş production partner against the measurements agreed on your quotation. Minimums and timing are not printed anywhere on this site, because they move with each list; your quotation gives both.

Questions about copper cookware sizes

How many quarts is a 24 cm copper pot?

It depends on the wall height. In our data a 24 cm (9.4 in) tall-series pot with a 10.5 cm wall holds 5 L, about 5.3 US quarts, while a 24 cm low pot with a 7.6 cm wall holds 3 L, about 3.2 quarts. Diameter alone never fixes capacity, which is why a size line should give both measurements.

What does “3 No” mean on a Turkish copper pot?

It means the third size in that particular series, counted from the smallest. It is not a unit. In our coffee pot data a “3 No” holds between 190 ml and 1,120 ml depending on the series, and in pots and pans the number points to different diameters in different series. Order by centimeters and milliliters, and treat the number as a reference.

Which Turkish copper pot is a 2-quart saucepan?

Two recorded bodies hold about 2 liters, a little over 2 US quarts: the 18 cm (7.1 in) tall-series pot and the 20 cm (7.9 in) low pot, both two-handled. For a single-handled saucepan of that size the capacity is confirmed per model on the quotation. The 14 cm milk and sauce pot holds 900 ml, just under a quart.

Do you have a 10-inch copper frying pan?

The nearest recorded frying pan is 27 cm across, about 10.6 inches, with a 5 cm (2 in) wall. A 25 cm (9.8 in) body exists only as a deeper wok. Whether the diameter is taken at the rim or the base is confirmed on the approved sample, and a pan made to an exact 10-inch measurement can be quoted as made to order.

Is there a copper stockpot of 8 quarts or more?

No. Our tallest copper pots have a 13 cm (5.1 in) wall and are wider than they are tall, so they work as deep casseroles, not stockpots. A tall pot can still be quoted as custom work: send the height and width you want and the number of pieces, and you get a straight answer on whether new tooling makes sense.

How many fluid ounces is a Turkish coffee pot?

Recorded coffee pots run from 90 ml (3 fl oz) for one cup to 580 ml (19.6 fl oz) for seven cups. Most household pots pour two to four cups and hold roughly 5 to 13 fl oz. Order by the number of cups, because the pot is never filled to the brim and the same “No” holds different volumes in different series.

How is the diameter of a copper pan measured?

US retailers commonly quote skillets across the top rim, so the flat cooking surface is smaller. Our catalogue records one diameter per body without naming the measuring point. If a measurement has to fit a burner, stand or shelf, name it on the enquiry, and we measure the approved sample and write that figure on the quotation.

How thick is a copper pot in inches?

Recorded pot sheet runs from 0.50 mm to 1.00 mm, which is 0.020 to 0.039 inches; the heaviest frying pans reach 1.30 mm, about 0.051 inches. We state thickness in millimeters rather than gauge, because gauge numbers mean different thicknesses for different metals. Thickness is confirmed per model on the quotation.

Can I order copper cookware in sizes that are not listed?

Yes. Sizes between the catalogue steps, deeper walls, a stockpot proportion or a larger frying pan are produced at the partner workshop to a specification written with you. A charged sample comes first and becomes the reference for the batch. Send the measurement in centimeters or inches, the shape, the lining and the quantity.

Last updated: 31 October 2026