Charcuterie board calculator
How much cheese and meat to buy, how many kinds, how big a board, and when each thing comes out of the fridge. Set the guest count and what the board is for; the shopping list rewrites itself. No sign-up, no email.
Shopping list for 8
Cheese
- Soft cheeseA small brie, two wedges cut out8 oz (225 g)
- Firm cheeseManchego or aged cheddar, fanned5 oz (140 g)
- Aged or blue cheeseAged Gouda in shards, or Stilton3 oz (85 g)
Cured meat
- ProsciuttoPaper-thin; the ribbon meat6 oz (170 g)
- SalamiA mild Genoa5 oz (140 g)
- Second salamiSoppressata or finocchiona5 oz (140 g)
Crackers and bread
- CrackersOne plain, one seeded10 oz (285 g)
about 3 boxes - BaguetteSliced on the diagonal, 3/8 in (1 cm) thick1 baguette
Fruit, nuts and jars
- Fresh fruitGrapes in small clusters, a pear or figs16 oz (455 g)
- Dried fruitApricots or figs6 oz (170 g)
- NutsMarcona almonds or candied pecans, bowled8 oz (225 g)
- Olives and cornichonsDrained and bowled8 oz (225 g)
- PreservesFig jam, or quince paste for the Manchego1 jar
- A dipWhipped feta, hummus or grainy mustard1 bowl
Weights are what goes on the board. Wedges, jars and boxes come whole, so the bag will weigh more; the rest goes back in the fridge.
When to take what out
- 6:00 pmHard cheese and dry salami outThey need an hour to reach 65 to 70°F (18 to 21°C), and neither is on the food-safety clock, so this hour is free.
- 6:30 pmBuild the boardAnchors first (the cheeses and bowls), then the meats, then fill the gaps with fruit and crackers. Leave wood showing.
- 6:40 pmSoft cheese out: the clock startsThe soft cheese gets 20 minutes, short of its 30 on purpose. Cooked meats and pâté come out last. The two-hour clock starts now.
- 7:00 pmGuests arriveEvery cheese gets its own knife; nuts stay in their bowl with their own spoon.
- 8:10 pmSwap in the second waveTake the soft cheese and any cooked meat back off and bring out a fresh, chilled round from the fridge rather than topping up the old one.
- 8:40 pmTwo hours are upAnything perishable that sat out since the clock started goes in the bin, not back in the fridge. Hard cheese and dry salami can be wrapped and kept.
Charcuterie quantities for 2 to 50 guests
Cheese and cured meat totals, the same numbers the calculator gives. Before a meal, the board is an appetizer; as the meal, it is dinner.
| Guests | Cheese, appetizer | Meat, appetizer | Cheese, as the meal | Meat, as the meal | Kinds (cheese / meat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 oz (140 g) | 4 oz (115 g) | 8 oz (225 g) | 6 oz (170 g) | 2 / 2 |
| 4 | 9 oz (255 g) | 8 oz (225 g) | 16 oz (455 g) | 12 oz (340 g) | 3 / 2 |
| 6 | 12 oz (340 g) | 12 oz (340 g) | 24 oz (680 g) | 18 oz (510 g) | 3 / 3 |
| 8 | 16 oz (455 g) | 16 oz (455 g) | 2 lb (905 g) | 24 oz (680 g) | 3 / 3 |
| 10 | 19 oz (540 g) | 19 oz (540 g) | 2.4 lb (1.1 kg) | 28 oz (795 g) | 3 / 3 |
| 12 | 22 oz (625 g) | 22 oz (625 g) | 2.8 lb (1.2 kg) | 2.1 lb (935 g) | 5 / 4 |
| 15 | 28 oz (795 g) | 28 oz (795 g) | 3.4 lb (1.6 kg) | 2.6 lb (1.2 kg) | 5 / 4 |
| 20 | 2.3 lb (1.0 kg) | 2.3 lb (1.0 kg) | 4.6 lb (2.1 kg) | 3.4 lb (1.6 kg) | 5 / 4 |
| 25 | 2.9 lb (1.3 kg) | 2.9 lb (1.3 kg) | 5.8 lb (2.6 kg) | 4.3 lb (2.0 kg) | 5 / 4 |
| 30 | 3.4 lb (1.6 kg) | 3.4 lb (1.6 kg) | 6.9 lb (3.1 kg) | 5.2 lb (2.4 kg) | 5 / 4 |
| 40 | 4.6 lb (2.1 kg) | 4.6 lb (2.1 kg) | 9.2 lb (4.2 kg) | 6.9 lb (3.1 kg) | 5 / 4 |
| 50 | 5.8 lb (2.6 kg) | 5.8 lb (2.6 kg) | 11.4 lb (5.2 kg) | 8.6 lb (3.9 kg) | 5 / 4 |
Where the numbers come from
The calculator is the quantity ledger from our guide to making a charcuterie board, turned into a tool. The house numbers are 2 oz (57 g) of cheese and 2 oz (57 g) of meat a guest for an appetizer board, and 4 oz (113 g) of cheese and 3 oz (85 g) of meat when the board is the meal. They sit between the two figures you will find quoted most: cheesemonger formulas written per cheese (about 1½ oz, or 43 g, of each cheese a person) and food-blog rules of 2 to 3 oz (57 to 85 g) of cheese in total.
Amounts taper as the group grows because a bigger table carries more kinds, and nobody takes a piece of all five cheeses. The table above runs from 2.5 oz (70 g) of cheese a head for two down to about 1.8 oz (52 g) from twelve guests up; the taper is our model, anchored on those sourced figures at each end. Vegetarian guests take their share of the meat off the list, and half its weight comes back as cheese. The timeline follows USDA FSIS food-safety guidance: two hours out of the fridge, one above 90°F (32°C).
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Charcuterie quantities, answered
How much charcuterie do I need per person?
As an appetizer before a meal, about 2 oz (57 g) of cheese and 2 oz (57 g) of cured meat a guest, plus roughly the same weight again in crackers, nuts, olives and dried fruit. When the board is the meal, 4 oz (113 g) of cheese and 3 oz (85 g) of meat a guest, with about 2 oz (57 g) of bread. Per-head amounts fall a little as the group grows, because more guests means more kinds on the table and nobody takes some of everything: two guests need 5 oz (140 g) of cheese between them, twelve need 22 oz (625 g).
How much charcuterie for 20 people?
For 20 guests as an appetizer: 2.3 lb (1.0 kg) of cheese across five kinds and 2.3 lb (1.0 kg) of cured meat across four, on two large boards of about 24 by 16 in (60 by 40 cm). If the board is dinner, roughly double it: 4.6 lb (2.1 kg) of cheese and 3.4 lb (1.6 kg) of meat. The calculator above breaks either into a shopping list.
How much charcuterie for 50 people?
As an appetizer for 50: about 5.8 lb (2.6 kg) of cheese and 5.8 lb (2.6 kg) of meat. At that size stop adding kinds (five cheeses and four meats is plenty) and buy more of each instead, then split it across 5 boards or one long grazing table so guests are not queuing at a single board.
How many cheeses should be on a charcuterie board?
Two for up to three guests, three for four to ten, five for eleven or more. Pick them across textures and milks: a soft cheese, a firm one and an aged or blue one covers most boards, and a sheep or goat cheese stops three wedges tasting like the same dairy. Count kinds last; weigh the total first, then split it.
What size board do I need?
About 10 by 7 in (25 by 18 cm) for two, 12 by 9 in (30 by 23 cm) for four, 15 by 12 in (38 by 30 cm) for six, 18 by 12 in (45 by 30 cm) for eight and 24 by 16 in (60 by 40 cm) for ten to fourteen. Past that, use a second board rather than a bigger one: two boards at either end of a table spread the crowd out.
How long can a charcuterie board sit out?
Two hours at room temperature, one hour above 90°F (32°C), per USDA FSIS food-safety guidance. The clock starts when the soft cheese, cooked meats or pâté leave the fridge, not when guests arrive, which is why the timeline above brings the soft cheese out only 20 minutes ahead. Hard cheese and dry salami can temper for an hour before that without spending any of it.
How much cheese for a cheese course after dinner?
Between 1.5 and 2 oz (43 and 57 g) a head across three cheeses, the smaller figure for a bigger table: 8 oz (225 g) for four, 14 oz (395 g) for eight, 18 oz (510 g) for twelve. Serve it with oatcakes, walnuts, a pear and, if you like, a glass of port.
Keep going
How to make a charcuterie board
The four-stage arrangement, the 3-3-3 rule audited, the cheese grid, the food-safety clock and twenty themed board ideas.
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