Skip to main content

Average size of chicken eggs

I'm doing research and am looking for information on the average size of chicken eggs in terms of fl. oz. or cubic centimeters.

From: Y.B.

Eggs are usually sold by weight, not volume and we do not know of published tables on average chicken egg sizes in fluid ounces, cubic centimeters or milliliters. We do have some estimates of liquid inside an egg, from the cooking point of view, under the headline egg exchanges on the page "Everything you wanted to know about eggs."

We found some information about their yield in volume for cooking on Wikipedia. This can be a guideline although it is usually not considered a reliable source to cite in research projects.

1 extra large (XL) egg - with a weight greater than 2.25 oz (64g) will yield 4 Tbs (about 56 ml)
1 large (L) egg - with a weight greater than 2 oz (57g) will yield 3 Tbs + 1 tsp (about 46 ml)
1 medium (M) egg - with a weight greater than 1.75 oz (50g) will yield 4 Tbs (about 43 ml)

Other possibilities:

  • Approximate the volume of a chicken egg considering the egg a sphere.
  • If you have the average density of an egg - the yolk and the white have different densities - you can apply the formula
       Volume = mass x density
    There are tables about average egg densities.
  • There are research databases containing papers from universities and other research projects. They can be searched for a fee, however, it is not uncommon for public libraries to have access to some of these exclusive resources and you may find there extra information –there might be already something on chicken egg sizes en fl or cubic centimeters. Ask your librarian.
  • Do your own statistical research finding out the average volume for eggs in each weigh category by measuring the volume of a number of eggs in each category. The more eggs you measure, the more accurate the average, however, 6 would be enough for a school project.

How do you find out the volume of an egg?

There is a simple procedure one can apply -it is useful to measure volumes of objects with irregular shapes.

  1. Fill a measured jar with enough water to cover the egg and write down the measure - I suggest you fill it to a whole number, such as 16 fl, 300 ml, etc.
  2. Drop the egg into the water and write down the measure again –the water level will go up.
  3. The volume of the egg is the difference between the second measure and the first one.

Remember eggs tend to fill in with air and weigh less the older they are. The volume as measured by this method will be different if you measure the same egg on different dates - so try to measure all the eggs on the same day, the fresher, the better.