How many pizzas for 45 people?
For 45 people, order 19 large pizzas. That’s 152 slices, about 3 each with 17 to spare.
plus 0 small pizzas, gluten-free
152 slices for 45 grown-ups. That’s about 3 each, plus 17 spare for whoever said “I’m not that hungry.”
Suggested delivery tip (15%, at least $5):
Feeding the whole office?
Past 20 people, compare catering on cost per head before you order a tower of pizza boxes. Someone else brings the plates.
Same crowd, different appetites
These follow the calculator above, so they change with the size and the headcount.
How we got to 19
45 grown-ups at 3 slices each need 135 slices. We add 10% so nobody’s left eyeing the last one, which makes 149. A large pizza has 8 slices, which is what Pizza Hut and Papa John’s cut theirs into, so 149 ÷ 8 = 18.63, and we round up to 19.
How to split 19 pizzas
We’d go 7 cheese, 6 pepperoni and 6 veggie or specialty. Cheese is the safe bet for kids and picky eaters, and the veggie pizzas cover anyone who skips meat. If you know your crowd, move pizzas between the three; the total stays the same.
Pizzas for 45 people by size
| Size | Slices in one | Pizzas for 45 | Slices in all |
|---|---|---|---|
| small | 6 | 25 | 150 |
| medium | 8 | 19 | 152 |
| large | 8 | 19 | 152 |
| extra-large | 12 | 13 | 156 |
The same 149 slices, divided by what each size holds and rounded up. Pick a size in the calculator above and the answer follows.
45 people, if some of them are kids
| Who’s coming | Grown-ups | Kids | Large pizzas |
|---|---|---|---|
| All grown-ups | 45 | 0 | 19 |
| A quarter kids | 34 | 11 | 18 |
| Half kids | 22 | 23 | 16 |
| Three-quarters kids | 11 | 34 | 14 |
Kids under 12 count 2 slices each, grown-ups 3. 45 kids on their own need 13.
Serving other food too?
Serving wings, salad or sides? We count 75% of the usual slices when there’s other food, which brings 45 grown-ups down to 14 large pizzas. Tick “Also serving wings, salad or other food” above to see it.
What 19 pizzas might cost, at example prices
| If a large cost (example) | 19 pizzas | For each of 45 |
|---|---|---|
| $12 | $228.00 | $5.07 |
| $16 | $304.00 | $6.76 |
| $20 | $380.00 | $8.44 |
| $24 | $456.00 | $10.13 |
Example prices only, to show the sum; a large costs whatever your pizzeria charges, before tax, delivery and tip. Switch the calculator to Office lunch and type in your price for the real total.
Ordering for a family reunion, a school club or a volunteer cleanup
A family reunion runs from toddlers to great-grandparents, so use both boxes above: the under-12s in Kids, everyone else in Grown-ups. Give the kids’ cheese pizzas a table of their own, and no grown-up has to compete with a seven-year-old for the last slice.
For a volunteer cleanup, have the pizza delivered to where the work ends, with wipes or a hose nearby; nobody wants park dirt on their pizza. For a school club, check whether the school has rules about outside food first, then set the delivery for the end of the meeting, not the start, so the meeting still happens.
Questions people ask
How many large pizzas do I need for 45 people?
19 large pizzas for 45 grown-ups with normal appetites. That’s 152 slices, about 3 each plus spares. If they’re nibblers, 13 will do; if they’re starving, get 25.
How many pizzas for 45 people if 8 are vegetarian and 2 gluten-free?
18 large pizzas for the other 43, plus 2 small gluten-free pizzas for the 2. Of the larges, 6 cheese and 6 veggie already cover the 4 pizzas’ worth the 8 vegetarians need. Switch to Office lunch above and enter both counts to check your own mix.
How many slices of pizza per person?
Plan on 3 slices for a grown-up, 2 for a light eater or 2 for a kid, and 4 for a hungry crowd. Those are the numbers our calculator uses, before the 10% extra.
How many pizzas for 45 kids?
13 large pizzas for 45 kids under 12, at 2 slices each plus a little extra. Add the grown-ups in the calculator if they’re eating too.
How much does pizza for 45 people cost?
Multiply 19 by what a large pizza costs where you’re ordering; the table above shows the sum at a few example prices. Switch the calculator to Office lunch and type in the price to see the order total and the cost per person.