This roughly doubles every quantity.
Your board
| Item | Per person | Total |
|---|
Building it
Worked example
Here is a complete answer with the calculator's default settings, so you can sanity-check the numbers without touching anything — Guests: 10 · Include charcuterie?: Yes — cheese and cured meat · Grazing time: Under 2 hours · Buy cheese in: 200 g wedges.
Result: 570 g of cheese · 10 guests · before a meal
| ITEM | PER PERSON | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese — 4 different cheeses · 143 g of each | 57 g | 570 g |
| Cured meat — 2–3 types | 57 g | 570 g |
| Crackers & bread — Split neutral cracker + baguette | 7 pieces | 70 pieces |
| Fruit & veg — Grapes, figs, cornichons, crudités | 57 g | 570 g |
| Nuts & sweets — Marcona almonds, dried apricots | 28 g | 280 g |
| Jam, honey & dips — One sweet, one savoury | 28 g | 280 g |
Also needed
- Different cheeses to buy4
- Wedges per cheese (200 g)1
- Board size12–18 inch board
- Cheese knives4
- Out of the fridge1 hour before
Change the inputs above and every figure recalculates.
How the numbers work
The single most useful number: about 2 oz (55–60 g) of cheese per person when a meal follows, and about 5 oz (150 g) when the board is the meal. Published guidance ranges from 1 oz to 3.5 oz for appetizers and 3 oz to 8 oz for mains — this calculator uses the middle of the well-sourced range and adds a buffer, because running out is worse than leftovers and cheese keeps.
On how many cheeses: every serious source says three to five, and five is the ceiling. This is the mistake people make when scaling up — for 30 guests you do not buy fifteen cheeses, you buy more of the same four. Past five varieties the individual tastes stop registering.
The classic selection rule is worth memorising: something old, something new, something goat, something blue. An aged firm cheese, a soft ripened one, a goat's cheese and a blue will cover almost any palate. If blue is unpopular in your crowd, swap it for something washed-rind or smoked rather than adding a fifth mild cheese.
How much charcuterie per person?
Roughly 2 oz (55 g) as an appetizer and 3.5 oz (100 g) when the board is dinner. Sources vary widely here — from half an ounce for a cheese-led board to six ounces for a meat-forward one — so treat it as a dial rather than a law. Three types is plenty: something sliced like prosciutto, something firm like salami, and something spreadable or spicy.
How big does the board need to be?
Roughly: 8–12 inches for 2–4 people, 12–18 inches for 6–10, and 18–24 inches for 10–20. Past about 20 guests, stop thinking "board" and build a grazing table — a single board that big is unwieldy and guests cannot reach the middle.
What about crackers and bread?
Plan 6–8 pieces per person as an appetizer and 10–12 when it is the meal. Split between a neutral cracker and sliced baguette; avoid heavily seasoned crackers, which fight the cheese.
When should I take the cheese out of the fridge?
An hour before serving. Cold mutes flavour and makes soft cheeses rubbery. Cut hard cheeses ahead, but leave soft ones whole with a knife beside them.