Hi Iwas wondering if anyone can help me. I have recently moved here from Australia. I have a cake on order for a kids birthday, which is no problem. Except that they want a 1/2 sheet cake and as I am not completely sure what a 1/2 sheet cake should be in size. I need a bit of help. I have looked on the internet but there doesn't seem to be anything consistant in sizes.
I don't have alot of tins and the one I showed the woman is actually a cookie sheet but I can layer it so thats fine but it is 17 x 11 is this about a 1/2 sheet. She seamed to be fine with the size. I just want to have it straight in my own head.
Welcome!
My recent research showed inconsistency, too. The suggestions leaned toward an 11 x 15 being 1/2 sheet, but in the end I bought a 12x16 (I think!)
Good luck and have fun!
The bakeries around here use the 12x18 for half sheet. This is what I use if anyone asks for a 1/2 sheet. What I like to ask is how many servings they want. I had someone once think a 1/2 sheet was a 9x13. If I hadn't asked how many servings they needed, they would've gotten way more cake than they wanted!
I am all confused on cake sizes as well .. most of cakes I just ask how many people they need it to feed .. I can go 9x13 11x15 12x18 etc ... I just dont know the "correct" names!
I also just ask "how many people?" Sometimes I tease them with "Look, I don't have the 4ft by 6ft baking sheets (God, can you imagine if that size pan actually existed?) that the big commerical bakeries use and then cut in "half" and then cut into "quarters". Just tell me how many people you need it to serve." 
I honestly dont' think they know how big it is either. They just say "Half Sheet" or "Quarter Sheet" out of habit and because that's what everyone else says. I bet if you asked THEM, "how big is that?" they'd have no idea either! 
a home 1/2 sheet and a bakery 1/2 sheet are diff.
the bakery sheets are larger...let me measure mine and I will post the measurements on a new thread, coz I'm sure someone else is asking the same.
My confusion is: if a 9X13 is a quarter, wouldn't you just make 2 9x13 pans for a half? So that would be 13x18. So I quess that 12/18 would make sense for a half sheet. So what is a whole? 18x26? And isn't there a 1/3rd sheet too?
Soo many sizes.....
Can anyone break down for me what the serving sizes are?
This was sent to me on STORE BAKERY SIZES
1/2 sheet to be 12 x 18 and you can get 40 - 48 pieces.
Full sheet pan Standard 24x16x2
3/4 sheet pan- 18X12X2
Half sheet pan Standard 16x12x2
Quarter sheet pan Standard 13x9
Quarter Sheets, Half Sheets, and Full Sheets Explained
The retail baking industry developed standard sizes for rectangular sheet cakes, beginning with their standard sheet pan size of 16 by 24 and dividing it into halves (half-sheet) or quarters (quarter-sheet). The manufacturers who supply paper and plastic items to the baking industry use these standard sizes to create a variety of cake boards, boxes, and domes.
In an effort to develop a unique market share, some manufacturers began promoting pans of slightly different sizes, selling mainly to home bakers through hobby and specialty stores. Since home bakers do not have the volume purchasing power of retail bakers, most of the paper and plastics manufacturers have not created boards or boxes to accommodate these sizes.
The bottom line: Boards and containers for sheet cakes will always be easier to find if you use the retail baking industry's standard size pans. You will save yourself a lot of frustration by sticking with the standards.
Baking and Paper Industry Standards; The sizes below are recognized as industry standards.
Quarter Sheet Cakes: 8 x 12 pan, 10 x 14 cardboard
Half Sheet Cakes: 12 x 16 pan, 13.5 to 14 x 18.5 cardboard
Full Sheet Cakes: 16 x 24 pan, 19 x 27 cardboard
Non-standard Sizes. These sizes are not standard sizes. Suitable boards and containers can be very difficult to find.
9 x 13 pan: We call it the large quarter size. Very few of the paper suppliers carry the boards (11 x 15) and boxes (12 x 16) for cakes made in 9 x 13 pans.
10 x 15 pan: Use the standard half sheet boards and boxes
11 x 15 pan: Use the standard half sheet boards and boxes
12 x 18 pan: We call it the large half size. This size pan will not fit in most home ovens. Wilton sells a set of 14 x 20 boards that can be used with this pan, but they sell no boxes. If you cannot locate a large half board (14 x 20) and box (14.5 x 20.5), you will have to use full sheet boards and boxes.
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In my area a 1/2 sheet is 11 X 15 (35-40 servings), and that's what I make for 1/2 sheet. A quarter sheet is 9 X 13. If I ever need to make a full sheet, I bake 2 11X15's and put them side-by-side on foam board, which is sturdy so the cakes don't move. I also make 12 X 18 size for people who request a cake for approx 50 people - I consider that size to be 3/4 sheet. 
I use exactly the same specs as SUSIEINDY....9x13 is quarter sheet, 11x15 is half, (2) 11x15's is full sheet.....and I also offer 12x18 to anyone needing to feed 55-60 people and consider this my 3/4 sheet! I've seen this fluctuate by region, so I use similar sizes as my local bakery to stay competitive!
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