Burger size chart
Weight is what you buy; diameter is what fits the bun. This chart translates the two, then the shrink does its damage.
The chart (raw patty, gently formed)
| Weight | Diameter | Thickness | Bun it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 oz | ~2.5–3 in | ~0.5 in | Slider bun |
| 3 oz | ~3–3.5 in | ~0.6 in | Small slider |
| 4 oz | ~3.5–4 in | ~0.75 in | Standard bun |
| 5 oz | ~4–4.5 in | ~0.8 in | Pub bun |
| 6 oz | ~4.5 in | ~1 in | Large pub bun |
| 8 oz | ~5–5.5 in | ~1–1.25 in | Brioche large |
Form gently: a packed patty cooks tight and rubbery, a loosely formed one stays tender but can crumble on the flip. Dimple the center with your thumb — patties dome as they cook, and the dimple is the countermeasure.
What shrink does to size
The same quarter-pounder that spans four inches raw pulls toward three and a half cooked, and the thickness drops with it. Buy and form by raw weight (see burgers per pound), but size the bun for the cooked diameter — a bun that fits raw will swallow the cooked burger.
Measure once, cook forever
After you form one patty of your standard size, measure it and note the diameter. Every future batch is then portioned by eye with a reference you trust. The calculator handles the buying arithmetic; timing lives in the grill times chart.