Barista Life Blog · 2 min read

Dunkin sizes explained: what small, medium, and large really hold

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Dunkin skips the Italian and sells hot coffee in four plain sizes: small (10oz), medium (14oz), large (20oz), and extra large (24oz). Iced drinks run on their own lineup of larger cups, since ice eats a chunk of every pour. There is no code to learn, which is half of Dunkin's pitch, but the sizes still hide one real number worth knowing: a medium hot coffee carries about 210mg of caffeine, which is more than most people assume a "medium" anything holds.

Dunkin hot coffee sizes

Size Hot cup Worth knowing
Small 10oz Bigger than a Starbucks short, smaller than a tall
Medium 14oz The default order; about 210mg of caffeine in brewed coffee
Large 20oz Same volume as a Starbucks venti hot
Extra large 24oz Hot coffee only; the biggest hot cup at any major US chain

Hot cup volumes per Caffeine Informer's compiled Dunkin data. The FDA considers up to 400mg of caffeine per day generally safe for healthy adults. This is information, not advice.

Iced sizes are a separate ladder

Order a medium iced and you get a visibly bigger cup than a medium hot. That is by design: iced cups are sized so that after the ice goes in, the drink you actually get lands near the hot equivalent. It also means "medium" is not one amount of coffee at Dunkin, it is two, depending on temperature. If you are counting caffeine rather than ounces, compare the drink itself on our Dunkin cold brew vs iced coffee page or the caffeine comparison tool instead of trusting the cup size.

How Dunkin sizes compare to Starbucks

The names do not map cleanly. A Dunkin large hot (20oz) equals a Starbucks venti hot; a Dunkin medium (14oz) sits between a tall and a grande. The caffeine comparison is more useful than the volume one: Dunkin's medium hot coffee lists about 210mg, while a Starbucks grande Pike Place lists 310mg in a slightly larger cup. Starbucks brews stronger per ounce; Dunkin sells you a bigger hot cup at the top end. Full name-by-name cup math is in Starbucks sizes explained.

Which size to order

The medium is the sane default: 14oz and roughly 210mg is a full morning for most people, and it is under half the FDA's 400mg daily context number. The extra large is a commitment; two of them in a day puts brewed-coffee caffeine alone past 400mg. If your Dunkin run mostly dies lukewarm in a cup holder, a large insulated travel mug fixes the actual problem, which is the cup, not the size.

Related reading

FAQ

What sizes does Dunkin have? Small, medium, large, and extra large for hot coffee (10, 14, 20, and 24oz), with iced drinks served in their own larger cups to make room for ice.

How big is a medium at Dunkin? A medium hot is 14oz and carries about 210mg of caffeine in brewed coffee. A medium iced comes in a bigger cup because part of the volume is ice.

Is a Dunkin large the same as a Starbucks venti? For hot drinks, yes on volume: both are 20oz. The coffee inside differs; a Starbucks grande Pike Place lists 310mg of caffeine, more than a Dunkin medium's 210mg in a smaller cup.

Sources: Caffeine Informer Dunkin brewed coffee data; Caffeine Informer Starbucks guide; FDA caffeine guidance.

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