Product Code Database
A sheet pan, also referred to as baking tray, baking sheet, or baking pan, is a flat, rectangular metal pan placed in an oven and used for baking pastry such as , , , , and .
These pans, like all bakeware, can be made of a variety of materials. Originally made of sheet iron, today's baking trays are made of either aluminum or sheet steel that has been enameled or coated with PFAS.
Common features that may be found in sheet pans include: one or more flat edges to assist food removal, one or more raised edges (lips) to retain food, a contiguous rim to retain either food or shallow liquid, handles to assist in moving the pan into and out of the oven, a layer of insulation (typically air) designed to protect delicate food from burning (air bake pan), or perforations to aid in speeding cooking (pizza tray).
Rigidity of the pan is especially important if the pan is to be placed directly on a flat heat source (hearth stone, induction element, etc.) Rims and ridges contribute to rigidity.
The earliest recorded usage of sheet pans is in Scotland, by the baker Henry A. Gillespie.
Mass, thermal conductivity, and colour of the pan play key roles in achieving a uniform cooking temperature. The friction of the pan's under surface may be a safety consideration in some applications.
Typically, for rimmed trays, each rim will sacrifice of baking surface along that edge. Pans of a single design from a single vendor will usually share the same rim height and rake across all tray sizes in a series, thus the sacrifice of flat baking surface is proportionally greater (relative to outer dimension) for small pans than for large pans.
While nominally half the size—and typically sharing one dimension—quarter sheets will not necessarily nest inside a half sheet side by side (whether for storage or other purposes). Some vendors supply quarter sheets that are half the size of a half sheet in outer dimension, while other vendors supply quarter sheets that are closer to half the size of a half sheet in flat baking area.
| + Common European Baking Tray Dimensions | |
| GN2/1 | 650 × 530 mm |
| GN1/1 | 530 × 325 mm |
| GN2/3 | 354 × 325 mm |
| GN2/4 | 530 × 162 mm |
| GN1/2 | 325 × 265 mm |
| GN1/3 | 325 × 176 mm |
| GN1/4 | 265 × 162 mm |
| GN1/6 | 176 × 162 mm |
| GN1/9 | 108 × 176 mm |
European sized trays usually come in standard depths of 20, 40, 65, 100, 150 and 200 mm.
Another popular size for home baking is . This pan size, traditionally used to make a Swiss roll, is bigger than a quarter sheet but smaller than a half sheet.
| + Common U.S. Baking Tray Dimensions | ||||||
| Full | 26 | 18 | 1 | 660 | 457 | 25 |
| Two Thirds (Three Quarters) | 21 | 15 | 1 | 533 | 381 | 25 |
| Half | 18 | 13 | 1 | 457 | 330 | 25 |
| Quarter | 13 | 9.5 | 1 | 330 | 241 | 25 |
| Eighth | 9.5 | 6.5 | 1 | 241 | 165 | 25 |
Values are approximate and vary based on rim size and style.
Commercial sheet pans are used for many purposes besides baking. Kitchen or cooking processes are often designed around kitchen equipment such as sheet pans, presupposing their ubiquity in most commercial food preparation areas.
In bread baking, especially, the bread dough will often go through several long rest intervals on sheet pans stacked in open or enclosed sheet pan racks (sometimes mounted on wheels). Enclosed racks may also be ventilated or temperature controlled to some degree.
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