Scoop Size Chart: Disher Numbers to Ounces and Servings

This scoop size chart turns disher numbers into ounces, tablespoons, milliliters, grams and scoops per tub. Use it to pick the right scoop for ice cream, cookie dough, muffin batter or any food you portion by the scoop.

A scoop number looks random until you know the rule behind it. Once you do, you can work out the size of any disher in your head, and you can tell how many servings you will get from a tub before you open it.

Below you will find the full chart, the handle color for each size, why ice cream scoops use a different scale, how much a scoop of ice cream weighs, and how many scoops come out of each Rapamar tub size. There is also a printable version for your kitchen wall.

1. How Disher Numbers Work

The number on a disher tells you how many level scoops it takes to fill one quart. A #16 disher fills a quart in 16 scoops. A #8 fills it in 8. That is why the numbers run backward: the bigger the number, the smaller the scoop.

Since one US quart holds 32 fluid ounces, you can find the size of any disher with one simple step:

The same rule tells you how many scoops you get from a container. A gallon holds 4 quarts, so a gallon gives you 4 times the disher number in level scoops. A 3 gallon tub holds 12 quarts, so it gives you 12 times the number. A #16 disher gets 64 scoops from a gallon and 192 from a 3 gallon tub.

Restaurant suppliers call this the gauge system. The ounces in the chart are fluid ounces, which measure volume, not weight. We cover weight in section 5.

2. The Full Scoop Size Chart

This is the standard scoop size chart for dishers, from the big #4 down to the tiny #100. Ounces, tablespoons and milliliters are for one level scoop. Scoops per gallon and per 3 gallon tub are level scoops with no waste.

The handle colors follow the code most foodservice brands use, so a cook can grab the right size at a glance. Note that #4 and #100 can both be orange, so check the number stamped on the scoop when in doubt.

3. Ice Cream Scoops Use a Different Scale

Here is where many people get mixed up. A disher with a squeeze handle and a classic ice cream scoop can carry the same number but hold different amounts.

Zeroll, the maker of the well-known aluminum ice cream scoop, rates its Original scoops by the portion of ice cream they serve. Its #10 is rated at 4 ounces, while a #10 disher is 3.2 ounces. The table below shows the gap.

The end cap colors on these scoops are not the same as the disher color code either. A green cap means #16 on a Zeroll and #12 on a disher.

Zeroll says its scoop design gives up to 20% more scoops per gallon because it does not pack the ice cream down. A squeeze disher, on the other hand, cuts a level, packed portion. That is great for cookie dough, but it can make an ice cream portion look smaller than it is.

4. Why Your Scoop May Not Match the Chart

The chart above uses the standard math: 32 ounces divided by the size number. Real dishers come close, but not always on the nose. Here is how one major maker, Vollrath, lists its squeeze dishers next to the standard numbers.

A 10% gap does not matter for one cookie. It matters a lot over a full tub or a full sheet pan. If you cost recipes or price ice cream by the scoop, measure your own scoops once (see section 8) and use those numbers.

Restaurant supplier KaTom puts it simply: specific manufacturers may vary by product series, so always double check the capacity of the scoop you buy.

5. How Much a Scoop of Ice Cream Weighs

Ounces on a scoop are fluid ounces. They tell you how much space the food takes up, not how heavy it is. A scoop of dense cookie dough and a scoop of airy ice cream can be the same size and very different weights.

Ice cream weight depends on overrun, which is how much air is whipped in during freezing. University of Guelph food scientist H. Douglas Goff lists these typical ranges:

• Economy ice cream: around 120% overrun, usually the legal maximum
• Standard ice cream: 100% to 120% overrun
• Premium ice cream: 60% to 90% overrun
• Super-premium ice cream: 25% to 50% overrun

Ice cream mix weighs about 1.09 to 1.1 kilograms per liter before freezing. Divide that by 1 plus the overrun and you get the weight of the finished ice cream. At 100% overrun, a liter of ice cream weighs about 550 grams. FDA rules also say ice cream must weigh at least 4.5 pounds per gallon, which works out to about 539 grams per liter.

Using those numbers, here is about what one level scoop of ice cream weighs:

These are estimates for a level scoop based on a mix that weighs 1.1 kilograms per liter. Your own ice cream may be a little heavier or lighter. If you want an exact number for your nutrition labels or recipe costs, weigh 10 scoops and divide by 10.

6. Scoops per Tub for Every Rapamar Size

Because disher numbers are based on quarts, you can find the scoop count for any tub. Multiply the quarts in the tub by the disher number. The table below shows level scoops with no waste for each of our tub sizes.

Real tubs never give you the full count. Some ice cream sticks to the walls and corners, and scoops are never perfectly level. Our ice cream container size guide suggests planning for 85 to 90 percent of these numbers.

Want the real count for your scoop, your tub and your prices? Use our scoops per tub calculator. It also works out your cost and profit per scoop.

7. Which Scoop Size to Use for Which Job

Scoop sizes fall into three rough groups. KaTom's foodservice guide sorts them like this:

For ice cream shops

A standard single scoop in most North American shops is about 4 fluid ounces, and many gelaterias serve closer to 3. Pick your scoop by the ounce rating you want to serve, then use the same scoop every time.

• Single scoop: a scoop rated at about 4 oz, such as a Zeroll #10
• Kids or sample size: a smaller scoop, such as a Zeroll #20 at 2 oz or a #24 at 1.5 oz
• Sundaes and splits: pick one size and build every recipe around it so your food cost stays the same
• Pints and quarts to go: fill by volume, not by scoop count, since packing a container is not the same as scooping

For bakeries and kitchens

The same scoop for every cookie means every cookie bakes in the same time. Most bakers pick one or two sizes and stick to them. A #16 holds exactly 1/4 cup, so it works for any recipe that portions by the 1/4 cup. A #40 sits in the small cookie range and holds just under 2 tablespoons.

8. How to Check Your Scoop in 2 Minutes

You do not need to trust the label. Water gives you a fast and exact answer.

1. Fill the scoop level with water over a measuring cup.
2. Pour it in and repeat 4 times.
3. Read the total and divide by 4. That is your true fluid ounces per scoop.
4. For more accuracy, use a kitchen scale. One fluid ounce of water weighs about 29.6 grams.

Then do a real-world test with your actual product. Scoop 10 portions of ice cream, weigh them, and divide by 10. That number, not the one on the handle, is what you should use to price your menu.

9. Printable Scoop Size Chart

Hang the chart by your prep table, dipping cabinet or bake station. The PDF version fits on one letter-size page. Kitchen managers, culinary teachers and bloggers are welcome to link to it.

10. Frequently Asked Questions