Guides
GN Pan Capacity Chart: Litres by Size and Depth
Gastronorm standardises the footprint and the depth, so capacity follows from the two. This is every standard GN size against every standard depth, in litres. Use it to work out how many pans a service needs — and read the fill guidance underneath, because the number of litres a pan holds and the number you can actually put in it are different.
Capacity in litres
| Size | Footprint | 20 mm | 40 mm | 65 mm | 100 mm | 150 mm | 200 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GN 2/1 | 650 × 530 | 5.4 | 10.5 | 17.5 | 27.5 | 41.0 | 55.0 |
| GN 1/1 | 530 × 325 | 2.7 | 5.4 | 8.8 | 13.7 | 20.0 | 27.8 |
| GN 2/3 | 354 × 325 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 18.0 |
| GN 1/2 | 325 × 265 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 13.0 |
| GN 1/3 | 325 × 176 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 7.8 |
| GN 1/4 | 265 × 162 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 4.0 | — |
| GN 1/6 | 176 × 162 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.4 | — |
| GN 1/9 | 176 × 108 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | — | — |
Nominal brim-full capacities in litres. Gastronorm fixes the footprint and depth but not the taper angle or corner radius, so figures move by a few percent between manufacturers. Confirm the exact capacity of the specific pan when volume is critical. A dash marks a size and depth combination that is not commonly produced.
Brim-full is not usable
Every figure above is the volume to the brim. No kitchen fills a pan to the brim, so plan against these working rules instead:
Fill to about 80% for hot holding
Leaves room for stirring and stops spillage when pans are lifted in and out of a well
Fill to about 70% for transport
Liquid moves in a trolley; a brim-full pan will spill on the first corner
Fill to about 90% for cold storage with a lid
Less headroom needed when nothing is being served from the pan
Use a shallower pan rather than a part-filled deep one
Deep pans heat and cool unevenly, and a half-empty deep pan holds heat badly at the surface
Working out pans per service
A GN 1/3 at 65 mm deep holds about 2.5 litres brim-full. At 80% that is 2 litres of usable product. Serving 150 ml portions gives roughly 13 portions per pan. If your peak hour needs 40 portions, you need three pan-fills in that hour — so either hold three pans or plan to refresh one pan twice.
Refreshing a smaller pan more often almost always beats holding one large pan for the whole service. Product spends less time at temperature, and quality at the end of service is closer to quality at the start.
Choosing depth
- 65 mm is the default for serving and holding — reach for it unless there is a reason not to
- 20 and 40 mm suit display and delicate items that should not be stacked deep
- 100 mm and above suit soups, sauces and bulk storage rather than service
- A shallow pan refreshed often beats a deep pan filled once
Why a pan holds less than the arithmetic says
The gap between calculated and rated volume
Multiply a GN 1/1 footprint by a 65 mm depth and you get 11.2 litres. The pan is rated at about 8.8. Nothing is wrong with either number: they measure different things.
Commercial pans taper from the flange down to the base so they nest for storage and release product cleanly, which removes volume from the bottom of every pan. Internal corners are radiused rather than square, because a square internal corner traps product and fails hygiene inspection, and that removes more. The flange itself sits above the usable volume entirely.
The practical rule is that rated capacity runs roughly a fifth below the calculated figure across the range. Plan from the rated number, never from length times width times depth, or every holding schedule built on it will be short.
Turning litres into portions
Capacity only becomes useful once it is portions. Divide the rated litres by the portion size in litres: a GN 1/1 at 65 mm rated at 8.8 litres, serving a 120 ml portion, gives about 73 portions brim full.
Then apply the fill rule. At the 80 percent working fill sensible for hot holding, that same pan realistically carries about 58 portions before it needs changing. That is the number to schedule against, because it tells you how many times a station gets interrupted during a service.
Do this once per station and the pan sizes choose themselves. A station that turns over 60 portions in a service wants one pan at this size; a station that turns over 300 wants a refill rhythm, not a deeper pan.
Depth changes more than volume
Doubling depth roughly doubles capacity, but it does not double performance. A deeper pan has more volume behind the same surface area, so heat enters and leaves it more slowly and the difference between the surface and the base grows.
For hot holding that shows up as a cool centre and a crusted top. For chilling it matters much more, because cooling time is governed by the thickest point of the product: the same batch spread across two shallow pans passes a cooling window that one deep pan will miss.
This is why the answer to running out of product mid-service is usually another pan rather than a deeper one.
Frequently asked questions
How many litres does a GN 1/1 pan hold?
A standard GN 1/1 pan measuring 530 by 325 mm holds approximately 2.7 litres at 20 mm deep, 5.4 at 40 mm, 8.8 at 65 mm, 13.7 at 100 mm, 20.0 at 150 mm and 27.8 at 200 mm. These are brim-full nominal capacities; plan on filling to roughly 80 percent for service.
How many litres is a GN 1/3 pan?
A GN 1/3 pan measuring 325 by 176 mm holds roughly 2.5 litres at 65 mm deep, 3.9 litres at 100 mm, 5.7 litres at 150 mm and 7.8 litres at 200 mm. GN 1/3 at 65 mm is the most common topping and sauce format in commercial kitchens.
Why do stated capacities differ between suppliers?
Gastronorm standardises the top footprint and the depth, not the internal shape. Manufacturers use slightly different taper angles and corner radii, so two pans that both meet the standard can differ by a few percent in volume. Treat published capacity as planning data and confirm the figure for the specific pan when volume matters.
How full should I fill a food pan?
About 80 percent for hot holding and service, and about 70 percent if the pan will be moved on a trolley. Filling to the brim causes spillage when pans are lifted in and out of wells, and makes stirring impossible without pushing product over the edge.
How do I work out how many pans I need for a service?
Take the portion size in litres, divide the usable pan capacity by it, and allow for filling to 80 percent. A GN 1/3 at 65 mm holds about 2.5 litres brim-full, so roughly 2 litres in practice — which is about 13 portions at 150 ml. Then decide how often you want to refresh the product, because smaller pans refreshed more often hold quality better than one large pan sitting all service.
Why is the capacity lower than length times width times depth?
A GN 1/1 at 65 mm calculates to 11.2 litres and rates at about 8.8. Commercial pans taper from the flange to the base so they nest and release product, and internal corners are radiused rather than square so they can be cleaned. Both remove volume. Rated capacity runs roughly a fifth below the calculated figure across the range.
How many portions does a gastronorm pan hold?
Divide rated litres by portion size. A GN 1/1 at 65 mm rated at 8.8 litres serving a 120 ml portion gives about 73 portions brim full, or about 58 at the 80 percent fill sensible for hot holding. The second number is the one to schedule against.
Should I use a deeper pan or a second pan?
Usually a second pan. Doubling depth roughly doubles capacity but slows how fast heat enters and leaves, so deep pans hold unevenly and chill slowly. Cooling time is governed by the thickest point of the product, so a batch split across two shallow pans passes a cooling window that one deep pan will miss.
GN pans from COMMI
COMMI manufactures gastronorm pans in stainless steel and PESU high-heat polymer across the standard sizes and depths above.