How Thick Are the Vollrath, Matfer Bourgeat, and the de Buyer Pans?

A question that has been frequently asked was “How thick are the Vollrath, Matfer Bourgeat, and de Buyer pans”?

After measuring each pan, I arrived at these measurements:

• Vollrath Model 58900 8 1/2 inch pan measured 1.6 mm or 0.0630 inches
• Matfer Bourgeat 062002 Black Steel Round Frying Pan, 9 1/2-Inch, Gray
  measured 3.2 mm or 0.1265 inches
• De Buyer 10.2 inch Mineral B Element Iron Frypan, Round with Neoprene Handle
  measured 3.45 mm or 0.1360 inches

I took my three pans and measured them with a micrometer. As you will see below the Vollrath was the thinnest of all the pans I tested. Next, was the Matfer Bourgeat and finally, the thickest measurement was from the de Buyer pan. I cannot say at this time that all sizes and models of all three of these carbon steel pans are the same thickness that I measured below. It would stand to reason that the larger sizes would be thicker, but this has not been confirmed.

The thickness of these pans is essential. Before you decide to purchase carbon steel cookware, it would be advised to look into the thickness of any pan you buy. Why? If you use very high heat in a carbon steel pan, the bottom of the pan can sometimes warp. I even have cast iron pans that have warped. This warping is not uncommon.

It is usually not a big deal except that the cooking oil might slide from the bottom center to the edges. This oil pooling could lead to some uneven cooking of delicate foods like eggs. This would not be a big concern because when you cook eggs or other delicate foods, the heat you apply is usually very low. Low application of heat should not cause your pan to warp.

I use a heat level of one or two on my gas burner when I cook eggs. This low heat has not affected the bottom of any of my pans, especially the Vollrath, because it was the thinnest.

If you are going to use your carbon steel pans to sear and cook steaks or similar meats, then I would suggest using a carbon steel pan that has a thicker side and bottom. Pans like the Matfer Bourgeat and the de Buyer should serve you well. I believe that these two pans would not experience, to the same degree, warping under very high heat conditions as compared to the Vollrath pan, which is thinner.

I use my Vollrath pan every day to make my omelets, saute peppers, and onions and have not had any noticeable warping of my pan. If you are using a large Vollrath pan, it might warp because of two reasons:

1. The pan wall thickness is thinner than the Matfer Bourgeat, de Buyer, and Aus Ion pans.
2. The flat area of a larger pan will have more area to be affected by the high heat making it more prone to warping

If you are using an induction cooking surface, I would use any of the pans but keep an eye to see if any warping is present. When you use induction cooking, you want the entire flat surface of the pan in contact with the induction cooker surface. If warping is present, then the will not be 100% contact with the induction cooking surface.

Any of these pans should serve you well if you are cooking delicate foods like eggs, potatoes, etc. If you plan on using your carbon steel cookware to cook under high heat conditions, like cooking steaks, then I would recommend the Matfer Bourgeat or de Buyer line of cookware. If you are going to cook mostly eggs or other delicate foods, then the Vollrath line of pans would be great, and you won’t be disappointed.

Here are my results:

My Vollrath Model 58900 8 1/2 inch pan measured 1.6 mm or 0.0630 inches

My Matfer Bourgeat 062002 Black Steel Round Frying Pan, 9 1/2-Inch, Gray
measured 3.2 mm or 0.1265 inches

My De Buyer 10.2 inch Mineral B Element Iron Frypan, Round with Neoprene Handle
measured 3.45 mm or 0.1360 inches