What Size Cutting Board Should You Buy? Standard Sizes, Weight, and the Two I Make
Most people buy a cutting board that is too small, and a few buy one so large it never leaves the cabinet. The right size is less about the board and more about your counter, your sink, and how much you can comfortably lift with one hand. Here is how I think about it, with the actual dimensions and weights of the two boards I make.
Short on time? For almost every home kitchen, 11 by 14 inches at three quarters of an inch thick is the size that gets used every day. That is the personalized board, from $89. If you want a heavy block that lives on the counter, the 16 by 12 end grain block with handles is the step up.
I make cutting boards by hand in Albany, Oregon, and I settled on these two sizes after making a lot of others. This is the reasoning, including who should ignore my default and go bigger or smaller.
What are the standard cutting board sizes?
There is no official standard, but the trade clusters around a few sizes:
- Small, about 8 by 10 or 8 by 12. Bar boards, cheese boards, a lemon and a lime. Too small to prep a meal on.
- Medium, about 11 by 14 to 12 by 16. The everyday size. Room to break down a chicken or chop an onion and a pepper without pushing things onto the counter.
- Large, about 15 by 20 to 18 by 24. Carving boards and serious prep boards. Heavy, hard to wash in a standard sink, and often too big to store flat.
- Butcher blocks, 1.5 to 3 inches thick. Any footprint, but the thickness is the point. These stay on the counter.
Thickness matters as much as footprint. A three-quarter-inch board is light enough to lift and wash and stable enough not to flex. A half-inch board flexes and eventually cups. Anything over an inch and a half is a block, not a board, and it stops being something you put away.
Why I make the everyday board 11 by 14
Three constraints, in order of how often they bite.
The sink. A board you cannot lay flat in your sink gets washed badly, which is how boards grow gray and crack. An 11 by 14 board fits flat in nearly every standard single basin and most double basins. An 18 by 24 carving board does not fit in anyone's sink, so it gets wiped instead of washed.
The counter. A standard counter is about 25 inches deep. A 14 inch board leaves you eleven inches behind it for a bowl of scraps and the pepper you have not cut yet. Go to 18 or 20 inches and the board eats the whole work surface.
Storage. An 11 by 14 board slides upright between the counter and the upper cabinets, or stands in a drawer next to the sheet pans. A larger board needs a dedicated spot, and boards without a spot stop getting used.
The honest downside: if you regularly carve a turkey, break down whole fish, or roll out pasta dough, 11 by 14 will feel small for those jobs. For those cooks, the block below is the answer, or a second board for the occasion.
How much does a cutting board weigh, and why it matters more than you think
Nobody asks me about weight before they buy, and it is the thing people mention most after. It cuts both ways.
My 11 by 14 by 3/4 inch board weighs about two and a half pounds in walnut and a little under three in maple, because maple is the denser wood. That is light enough to pick up, rinse, and flip one-handed. I have customers with arthritis, with a shoulder that no longer lifts well, or who cook from a seated position, and for them that number is the whole decision. A heavy board that has to be wrestled into the sink is a board that stops getting washed. If mobility is a concern in your kitchen, or in the kitchen you are buying for, the three-quarter-inch board is the right one, and walnut is the lighter of the two woods.
Other cooks want the opposite. They want a board that does not skate when they rock a chef's knife through a pile of herbs, that does not lift at one corner when they lean into a squash, that feels planted. For them, the end grain block at 16 by 12 by 1.5 inches, about six to seven pounds depending on the wood, is the right answer. It stays where you put it. It is also why I cut handles into both sides of that block: a piece that heavy needs a way to be picked up, and the handles are the difference between a block you can move to the sink and one you cannot.
A tip for either board: a damp towel folded flat underneath stops any board from sliding on a slick counter. It is the oldest trick in a restaurant kitchen and it works on a two-pound board as well as a seven-pound one.
Which size for which cook?
The everyday home cook. 11 by 14. Dinner for two to four, a chicken, a pile of vegetables, a loaf of bread. This is most of the kitchens I ship to.
The person who cooks for a crowd. The block. Sixteen inches is enough to carve a roast with room for the slices, and the thickness means it never flexes under a heavy knife.
The small kitchen or the apartment. 11 by 14, and store it upright. A block in a small kitchen becomes the counter.
Anyone with limited grip or strength. 11 by 14 in walnut, the lightest option I make, and keep it near the sink so washing it is one motion.
The gift buyer. 11 by 14. It is the size that fits every kitchen you have not seen. The block is a wonderful gift for someone you know cooks seriously and has the counter space, and a risky one for anyone else.
Does size change the engraving?
The 11 by 14 board holds a family name and a date comfortably, with a monogram above if you want one. The block has more surface, so longer text has room, but most people keep the engraving the same size and let the extra wood frame it. Either way, our guide to what to engrave on a cutting board covers how much text fits and what ages well.
Do you need more than one size?
Many kitchens end up with two boards: a daily 11 by 14 for prep, and either a second 11 by 14 for raw meat or a block for carving and counter duty. If you cook most nights, that is the setup I would build. If you cook a few times a week, one 11 by 14 with a juice groove does the whole job, and our juice groove guide explains why the groove is the right call for a single board.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cutting board size for a home kitchen?
About 11 by 14 inches at three quarters of an inch thick. It fits a standard sink for washing, leaves room on a 25-inch counter, and stores upright.
What size is a standard cutting board?
There is no formal standard. Small boards run around 8 by 12, everyday boards 11 by 14 to 12 by 16, and large carving boards 15 by 20 and up.
How much does a wood cutting board weigh?
My 11 by 14 by 3/4 board weighs about two and a half pounds in walnut and just under three in maple. The 16 by 12 by 1.5 end grain block is about six to seven pounds.
Is a heavier cutting board better?
Heavier boards stay put under a rocking knife and feel more solid. Lighter boards are easier to wash and lift. Neither is better; it depends on who is using it. A damp towel underneath stops any board from sliding.
What size cutting board for someone with limited mobility or grip?
The 11 by 14 in walnut, the lightest board I make, kept near the sink. The block is too heavy to be practical for one-handed use.
How thick should a cutting board be?
Three quarters of an inch for a board you lift and wash. One and a half inches or more for a block that lives on the counter. Anything under half an inch flexes and eventually cups.
Can I get a different size?
Sometimes. One-off dimensions go through the custom shop, and I will tell you honestly whether the size you want will stay flat.
The two sizes I make
Our Personalized Cutting Board is 11 by 14 by 3/4 inches in black walnut or hard maple, smooth or with a juice groove, engraved in serif, script, or monogram, or left plain. Maple is $89 smooth and $99 grooved. Walnut is $109 and $119. About two and a half to three pounds.
The Personalized End-Grain Butcher Block with Handles is 16 by 12 by 1.5 inches in maple or walnut, from $199, with handles cut into both sides. About six to seven pounds, and built to stay on the counter.
Engraving and shipping in the lower 48 are included on both, and personalized boards ship in 1 to 2 business days. If you are still torn, buy the 11 by 14. It is the board people reach for every day, and the block is the one they add later when they know they want it.
Shopping for Christmas? Order by Friday, December 11 to be comfortable, and December 15 at the very latest. Boards ship in one to two business days, and most arrive three to six business days after that in the lower 48.
Every personalized board and block, engraved to order in Oregon: personalized cutting boards.
Know your size?Both are cut, sanded, engraved, and finished by hand in Albany, Oregon. Shipping included in the lower 48.