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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
A half sheet pan is essential to every kitchen. Measuring in at around 18 x 13 inches (and as small as 16 x 12 inches), this size typically fits comfortably into a home oven. Simple in design and offering a ton of versatility, it can be used for making cookies and crackers, creating sheet pan dinners, roasting vegetables and proteins, and much more.
They come in an array of materials, from traditional aluminum to cutting-edge ceramic coatings, and you can choose from rimmed or rimless styles. We tested some of the top-rated half sheet pan by sending them to the homes of our testers, who evaluated their performance by baking cookies and roasting vegetables. Each sheet pan was rated on its durability, heating ability, ease of cleaning, and overall value to find the best half sheet pans.
Best Overall
Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet
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Amazon
Sturdy construction that resists warping
Heats evenly across the entire baking sheet
Very affordable
Hand wash only
Surface can get scratched
The Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum Half Sheet Pan checks all the boxes for what most people are looking for when it comes to baking sheets: It's an inexpensive, reliable workhorse that can be used again and again. This particular pan is the favorite of Clémence Gossett, pastry chef and co-owner of The Gourmandise cooking school in Santa Monica, California.
“We're such big fans that we carry it in our school store,” says Gossett. “It's made in the U.S. and is sturdy enough to keep from warping when the pan moves from hot to cold.”
Made from pure formed aluminum, it features rolled, encapsulated steel rims that hold the pan’s structure. The surface is virtually nonstick and the pan is oven-safe to 450 degrees, allowing you to roast and broil vegetables and more. During both of our tests, cookies baked evenly, with the bottoms cooking just as much as the tops. There was no sticking, and washing was a cinch. It also worked well for roasting veggies—there was no burning—and was the perfect sheet pan for crunchy roasted potatoes.
The shiny metal surface did show some wear-and-tear from metal spatulas and from stacking and moving, but that doesn’t affect the performance at all. The manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty on this pan and advises that you hand wash to prevent discoloration from dishwasher detergents.
Price at time of publish: $26 for Set of 2
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Material: Aluminum | Dimensions: 17.9 x 12.9 x 1 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No
"An overall pan for the kitchen, this is great for everything from baking to roasting." — Donna Currie, Product Tester
Best Heavy-Duty
Chicago Metallic Metallic Commercial II Traditional Uncoated Sheet Pan
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Amazon
Stands up to daily use
Uncoated aluminum conducts heat well
Heats very evenly and doesn't warp
Slightly heavier than most sheet pans
Heats a little faster than most pans
This pan is great for those who are tough on their bakeware or simply like to bake often. A professional-weight half sheet pan, this is made from 18-gauge aluminized steel, which means a carbon steel core is dip-coated with an aluminum-silicon alloy, making it strong with high thermal conductivity. This also makes it thicker and heavier than most home bakeware. The rolled rim reinforced with wire rods means this pan will not warp and will easily stand up to daily use.
We've tested this baking sheet twice, and it performed excellently both times. The steel conducts heat effectively and will heat up faster than aluminum. This meant that during testing, cookies baked a little faster, but didn’t burn. The light color no doubt helped prevent over-browning that can happen with dark pans. Roasted vegetables browned nicely on the bottom, but didn’t burn, and cleanup was easy every time.
One of our testers enjoyed the 16.75 x 12-inch cooking space since it gave them plenty of room for moving food around, and as a set of two, you can cook twice as much in one go. These are dishwasher safe, but hand washing will help to extend the pan’s life.
Price at time of publish: $29 for Set of 2
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 16.75 x 12 x 1.25 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but hand wash recommended
"The performance with both cookies and roasted veggies was excellent. Nice browning, no burning, and easy cleaning." — Donna Currie, Product Tester
Best Ceramic
Great Jones Holy Sheet Pan
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Great Jones
Beautiful color options
Reinforced to prevent warping
Can be used as a serving tray
Expensive
Coating can get scratched
This pan from Great Jones is a newcomer to the bakeware world, but it is quickly gaining popularity thanks to the combination of its vibrant, Instagram-worthy hues and outstanding performance. This rimmed baking sheet is made of aluminized steel with a nontoxic, Swiss-made ceramic coating that is free of PFOA. The rolled edges are reinforced with steel rods to prevent warping, something that flimsier pans tend to do in the oven.
Since this is made from steel rather than aluminum, cookies baked a bit faster than the recipes we were using. Our at-home tester got some burning on the bottom of their cookies and on the roasted vegetables, while another tester had chocolate chip cookies with a crispy, brown bottom. You may have to adjust baking times accordingly.
This pan is large enough to cook sheet pan dinners for a family or make a batch of focaccia without overflow. It's oven-safe up to 450 degrees, and easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher even if there was burning. During one test, the pan did acquire a deep scratch on the bottom from stacking and moving the pan along with the others. While that didn’t affect use, a scratch on top would be more problematic and would make the pan less attractive.
Price at time of publish: $40
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Material: Aluminized steel, ceramic nonstick coating | Dimensions: 18.5 x 13.5 x 2 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Best Set
Anolon Pro-Bake Aluminized Steel 4-Piece Bakeware Set
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Amazon
Extra pans for versatility
Durable construction
Oven safe to 550 degrees
Not dishwasher safe
This set is great for bakers who love savory cooking since it includes baking sheets as well as a loaf pan and pizza pan—all in one bundle to save some money. The bakeware is made from durable aluminized steel that looks good and performs well.
The heavier weight, compared to all-aluminum sheets, means that food cooks more evenly. In testing, cookies baked well and removed from the pan easily. The perforated pizza pan is large enough for almost all of the premade and frozen pizzas you’ll find, and can also be used for homemade creations, with the holes letting the oven heat get to the bottom of the pizza, promoting a crisp crust and avoiding the dreaded soggy bottom.
The loaf pan is the perfect size and shape for making bread for sandwiches, as well as treats like banana bread or pound cake. If your preference is sweet baking, a 6-piece set that includes two baking sheets, two round cake pans, one square cake pan, and one loaf pan is also available.
Price at time of publish: $70
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 9 x 5 inches (loaf pan), 13 x18 inches (half-sheet pan), 14 x 14 inches (pizza pan) | Dishwasher Safe: No
Best Nonstick
USA Pan Aluminized Steel Half Sheet Pan
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Amazon
Strong, durable steel base
Great for cookies
Corrugated surface promotes even heat and easy release
Nonstick coating is susceptible to scratches
Hand wash recommended
Oven-safe temperature is lower than non-coated pans
This classic sheet pan from USA Pan is made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel, with the rims also incorporatig steel wire to enhance the pan’s strength and prevent warping. USA Pans bakeware has a patented nonstick silicone coating, which is PTFE-, PFOA-, and BPA-free, and will allow everything from cookies to baked fish to release easily from the surface.
This pan features a corrugated surface to help promote air circulation and heat distribution, allowing foods to cook evenly so your results are always consistent. In testing, cookies baked evenly and released with no sticking, although there was a little bit of burning when roasting vegetables. Unfortunately, the pan warped when roasting vegetables at 425 degrees, which is lower than the recommended temperature of 450 degrees. It returned to its original shape after it cooled.
The sturdy, scratch-resistant surface holds up well against higher temperatures and it was also incredibly easy to clean, even when there was a little burning. The manufacturer recommends washing by hand and avoiding the use of sharp utensils to preserve the integrity of the nonstick coating.
Price at time of publish: $24
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 17.5 x 12.75 x 1 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No
Best Rimless
Vollrath Wear-Ever Cookie Sheet Pan
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Amazon
Thick construction to prevent warping
Excellent heat conductivity and even baking
Can slide baked goods onto a cooling rack with ease
Not as versatile as a rimmed baking sheet
Expensive
If you’re searching for a rimless cookie sheet pan, this cookie sheet from Vollrath offers durability and performance without the limitations of a rimmed edge. You’ll notice that it’s thicker than most pans because it has to be; a rolled edge rim normally provides structural stability, so this pan relies on heavy, 10-gauge aluminum to resist warping. Two ends are raised, giving a handhold to make it easier to lift the pan in and out of the oven.
While we couldn’t find any confirming documentation, when our tester pressed on the sheet, she could feel a bit of “give,” which means this may be made from dual layers of aluminum with air insulating it inside. That construction provides even baking and less chance for overbaked bottoms, which is what was experienced in testing. Cookies and vegetables both cooked evenly, with no burning.
The aluminum surface provides great heat conductivity, making it a favorite for commercial bakers who need large-scale consistency. This pan is extremely durable and easy to clean, although it is hand wash only. A hole on one end of the sheet makes it easy to hang this on a hook, if desired.
The few caveats are that this sheet pan is less versatile than a traditional rimmed pan. Without a rim, it can’t hold pan juices or oil, so you’ll have to be mindful of what you’re cooking. Additionally, since the metal's so thick, it takes longer to fully warm up in the oven. You'll have to be flexible with cooking times and be ready to check on the baking progress often.
Price at time of publish: $51
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Material: Aluminum | Dimensions: 17.8 x 14 x 0.5 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No
Best Enamel
Crow Canyon Home Home Classic Enamel Rectangular Tray
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Amazon
Durable construction
Completely food-safe, even if enamel chips
Can be used in oven, on grill/open-flame up to 530 degrees
Dishwasher safe
On the smaller end of half sheet sizing
Burned-on food is difficult to remove
This enamelware half sheet pan from Crow Canyon Home will add a whimsical vintage touch to your bakeware collection. It is made from high-strength steel, which is then hand-dipped multiple times to create its durable porcelain enamel surface—a technique that was popularized in the 19th century to make bakeware, tableware, and cookware surfaces that were easier to clean than bare metal. The result is a very sturdy pan that is oven-safe up to 500+ degrees and can even be used on the grill, making it ideal for broiling and roasting at higher temperatures in addition to baking cookies.
During testing, this did well with cookies, although it baked faster because of the steel construction. Our tester's vegetables had some burning, and the burned-on food was difficult to remove, requiring multiple rounds of soaking, scraping, and scrubbing to get rid of all the bits.
This sheet pan is completely food-safe, even if the enamel coating chips, so it’s a fantastic option for kids to handle during a family baking project. It is available in a traditional white finish with a colored rim, or an artisan-applied splatter design that looks fantastic as a serving tray when it’s not being used as bakeware. This sheet pan is dishwasher safe, so cleanup is easy as long as nothing has burned on.
Price at time of publish: $53 for White W/ Red Rim
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Material: Porcelain enamel on steel base | Dimensions: 16.25 x 12.25 x 1.25 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Our favorite half sheet is the Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum Half Sheet, thanks to its solid performance in testing, durability, and great price. For serious bakers, we recommend the Chicago Metallic Commercial II Sheet Pan, which is thicker and heavier than other options, performed well in testing, and will hold up to years of heavy use.
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
How We Tested
We sent these half sheet pans to the home of our experienced product tester, who used each one to bake cookies and roast vegetables. Additionally, many of these pans were home-tested along with baking sheets of various sizes. Each tester spent hours with their pans and then rated them all on durability, heating ability, ease of cleaning, and overall value. All of the testers then submitted additional feedback on the pan's particular strengths and weaknesses.
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Other Options We Tested
- TeamFar Baking Sheet Set of 2: A previous version of this roundup included the TeamFar Baking Sheet Set as our Best Set option. However, in testing, these baking sheets warped even at lower temperatures. The fact that they are stainless steel would make them good for roasting acidic foods, but our tester's roasted vegetables burned and the cleanup was difficult. "While the idea of stainless steel bakeware sounds good, the warping makes these less desirable," our tester concluded.
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
What to Look for in a Half Sheet Pan
Material
Sheet pans come in a variety of materials. An aluminum pan is durable, affordable, and conducts heat evenly. If you're tough on your pans and/or use them frequently, the 18-gauge aluminized steel might be the way to go. Though keep in mind that the steel means the pan gets hot quicker than aluminum, and the pan will be heavier too. Nonstick-coated pans will make for easy cleanup, but they can also scratch.
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Rimless vs. Rimmed
Some sheet pans come with rims, others don't. How you use a sheet pan will help you determine what kind would work best for you. For example, a rimmed sheet pan is great if you roast a lot of vegetables on them or make sheet pan dinners. It will keep the contents of the pan contained more easily than a pan without a rim.
However, if you're looking for a pan that's going to be used for baking purposes, you may want to consider using a rimless sheet pan because air will circulate more evenly around the baked goods. And that means your baked goods will cook more evenly, too.
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Care
How important is it to you to be able to put your pans in the dishwasher? Many manufacturers of nonstick pans don't recommend it in order to best preserve the integrity of the nonstick surface. However, a lot of pans can go right into the dishwasher, and if you tend to prefer the ease of that kind of cleanup, you'll want to check the manufacturer's recommendations before making a purchase.
FAQs
What is the difference between a jelly roll pan and a half sheet pan?
Half sheet pans are typically 18 x 13 inches, but jelly roll pans are a bit smaller, around 15 x 10 inches. Don't be tempted to make a recipe that calls for a jelly roll pan in a half sheet pan! It won't work, especially if what you're making is an actual jelly roll.
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The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Will a half sheet pan fit in a standard oven?
Yes, it will. Full sheet pans, which are 26 x 18, won't typically fit in a standard oven but instead are designed more for commercial ovens.
What gauge is best for sheet pans?
A thinner baking sheet is more likely to bend and warp in the oven. Many of our favorite half sheet pans for everyday cooking clock in around 18-gauge aluminum, but rimless half sheet pans for items such as cookies are usually 10- to 12-gauge. This may sound confusing, but the scale works backward; the higher the numbers go, the lower the thickness of a pan’s material.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
The author of this piece, Bernadette Machard de Gramont, is a Los Angeles-based writer who specializes in global food and wine content. After a two-year stint at the Williams-Sonoma Headquarters in San Francisco, she now researches and tests a variety of cookware, bakeware, and wine tools, and interviews field experts for their insight. She interviewed one expert, Clemence Gossett of Santa Monica-based The Gourmandise cooking school, for this piece.
Donna Currie, who updated this roundup, is a cookbook author who writes roundups and reviews products for The Spruce Eats. She has tested more than 100 kitchen products for the brand, including the half sheet pans featured on this list.
Carrie Honaker, who also updated this roundup, is a food writer, restaurateur, and avid home cook. Her work has appeared in many publications, including Bon Appetit, Allrecipes, and Wine Enthusiast.
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