Charcuterie Board Calculator

For an appetizer board before a meal, plan about 2 oz of cured meat and 2 oz of cheese per person. When the board is the meal (a grazing board), plan 3 to 4 oz of each. The calculator multiplies your per-person figure by the guest count and an appetite setting, so you get a single shopping total.

Plan about 5 crackers per person for an appetizer board and about 8 when the board is the meal, plus a sliced baguette for variety. The calculator totals crackers across all guests and converts them into boxes at roughly 30 crackers per box, then rounds up so you never run short.

Accompaniments are the extras that fill the gaps, such as olives, nuts, dried and fresh fruit, jam, honey, and pickles. Budget about 1.5 oz per person for an appetizer board and 3 oz when the board is the meal, spread across 3 to 4 kinds so the board looks full and varied.

Aim for 3 to 5 cheeses (something soft, something firm, and a blue) and 2 to 3 cured meats like prosciutto, salami, and soppressata. Variety reads as abundance more than sheer quantity, so add kinds before adding ounces. Keep one small knife per cheese so flavors stay separate.

An appetizer board comes before a meal, so portions stay light at about 2 oz of meat and 2 oz of cheese per person. A main grazing board replaces the meal, so it runs 3 to 4 oz of each plus more crackers and accompaniments. Pick the role that matches your event and the calculator scales every amount to it.

Past about 40 guests, build several smaller boards or a long grazing table instead of one giant platter, so guests can reach the food from multiple points. The math stays linear because total ounces equal your per-person amount times the head count, so two 20-guest boards equal one 40-guest spread.