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☕ Buying Guides · 2026Chemex sizes are measured at 5 oz a cup, so the 6-cup holds 30 oz. Which size, which series (Classic, Glass Handle, Handblown, Ottomatic), which filter fits which model, and how to care for it - from Chemex's own pages and thirteen verified listings.
Written and reviewed by the CoffeeLabAdvisor editorial team · Published 16 September 2026
Chemex measures its coffeemakers at 5 oz to a cup, which is the first thing to know: the 3-cup holds 15 oz, the 6-cup 30 oz, the 8-cup 40 oz and the 10-cup 50 oz, and a modern mug takes two of those cups. For one or two people the 6-cup Classic is the size Chemex itself calls the most popular, and the one almost every recipe assumes. Buy the 3-cup only if you brew for one and want the smallest footprint, and know that it takes a different filter (the half-moon) from every other size. The 8- and 10-cup are for a household or a table of guests. Between the series, the Classic and the Glass Handle brew identically; the handle simply replaces the wood collar and leather tie. Filters are the recurring cost, and the square and circle Bonded filters fit every size except the 3-cup models.
Every Chemex size is named in cups, and Chemex states on every product page and listing that it measures one cup as 5 oz. That is a small cup by modern standards - a 12 oz mug is two and a half Chemex cups - so translate before you choose. The 3-cup Classic holds 15 oz, which Chemex also describes as one pint; it stands 8.25 in high with a 3 in base and it is the only size built around the half-moon filter. The 6-cup holds 30 oz and stands 8.5 in high on a 5.125 in base. The 8-cup holds 40 oz at 9 in high, and the 10-cup holds 50 oz at 9.25 in high; both share the 5.25 in base of the larger series. The Handblown series adds a 5-cup and a 13-cup, sold from Chemex directly and, at the time of writing, listed as sold out there and absent from Amazon, so this guide sticks to the machine-made sizes you can actually buy.
Which size, then. One person who drinks one large mug: the 3-cup makes a 12 oz mug with a little to spare, but the 6-cup makes the same mug with room to brew two, and it is easier to pour into because the bloom has more room. Most people who start with a 3-cup end up with a 6-cup; if you are choosing between them, the 6-cup is the safer buy. Two people: the 6-cup, brewed full, gives each a 15 oz mug. A household of three or four, or two people who each want a second cup: the 8-cup. Guests and brunch: the 10-cup, which makes 50 oz in one brew and still pours through the same spout. A bigger carafe brewed half-full works, but the filter cone sits higher above a smaller coffee bed, so the pour is less forgiving; buy the size you will fill most days.
The Classic Series is the 1941 design: a single piece of borosilicate glass in the hourglass shape, a polished wood collar around the waist and a leather (rawhide) tie that holds the collar on. The collar is the handle. It comes off for washing, and it is the one part that wears - the tie stretches and the wood darkens - which is why Chemex sells the collar and tie as a replacement part. The Glass Handle Series is the same carafe with a glass handle fused to the side instead of the collar. It brews identically, costs about the same, and has no collar to remove before the dishwasher, which some people find reason enough; Chemex also sells the 6-cup handle in colours. The Handblown Series is the same shape blown by hand rather than machine-made, thicker and heavier with slight variation from piece to piece, at roughly two and a half times the price; it is a collector's version, not a better brewer.
The Ottomatic 2.0 is different in kind: an automatic machine that heats water and showers it over a Chemex carafe for you. Chemex's own page states it fits the 3, 6 and 8-cup Classic and Glass Handle coffeemakers (and the 3 and 5-cup Handblown), heats to the specialty-coffee target range of 197.6 to 204.8 F, pulses the water to hold that temperature, has an iced-coffee mode and a hot plate that switches off after 90 minutes, and measures 12.5 by 7.5 by 13 in. The Amazon set includes a 6-cup carafe, sample filters, a glass cover and a cleaner, and the listing states a 40 oz reservoir that brews up to an 8-cup carafe hands-free. It is the Chemex for someone who loves the cup but not the ten minutes of pouring. Finally the Funnex is a single-cup dripper that uses the half-moon filter and sits on any mug - a Chemex filter without a carafe.
The filter is most of what makes a Chemex cup taste the way it does. Chemex Bonded filters are paper that the listings describe as 20 to 30 percent thicker than competing coffee filters, and the coffeemaker's Wikipedia entry records the same point: the thicker paper removes most of the coffee oils and fine sediment, which is why a Chemex cup is clean and light-bodied where a French press is heavy. Chemex states the paper is made in the USA from North American materials and is compostable. There are three shapes. Squares (FS-100, pre-folded) and circles (FC-100) are the same filter cut two ways; both fold into a cone with three layers on one side, and both fit every Chemex except the 3-cup models, which Chemex codes CM-1 (Classic), CM-1C (a colour variant) and CM-1GH (Glass Handle). Half moons (FP-2) are the filter for those 3-cup models and for the Funnex. An unbleached square (FSU-100, oxygen-cleansed, no chemical whiteners) is the natural-paper version and, per its listing, fits all sizes. Pre-folded means the box holds filters already folded into quarters; unfolded circles cost the same and take one extra fold.
Fold and placement matter more than most people think. Chemex's own instructions on the filter boxes and listings: fold the filter in half, then in half again, open it into a funnel with your finger between the third and fourth layer, and place it with the three-layer side against the groove of the spout. The groove is an air channel; it lets air escape the lower chamber as coffee drains, and the thick side of the cone is what keeps the paper from sealing it. Rinse the filter with hot water before adding coffee (it also warms the carafe), and lift the filter out and compost it when the brew finishes - there is no basket to scrub. A box of 100 lasts a daily brewer three months, which is why the two-box packs exist.
Chemex's dose is stated on the filter listings and product pages: one heaping tablespoon of coffee per 5 oz cup, ground medium-coarse, adjusted to taste after the first brew. In grams that comes to roughly 1 g of coffee for every 15 to 17 g of water, which is the ratio our coffee-to-water guide works through for every brewer; a full 6-cup at 30 oz (about 890 g of water) wants around 55 g of coffee. Bloom the grounds with a little water, wait half a minute, then pour slowly in circles and keep the water well below the rim - Chemex's instructions say the same, and the thick filter drains slowly enough that a rushed pour simply floods the cone. Expect four to five minutes for a 6-cup. The grind is one step coarser than a V60 or Kalita, which our grind size chart places in the medium-coarse band.
Care is simple and the rules come from Chemex's FAQ. The carafe is dishwasher safe once the wood collar and rawhide tie are removed, placed where it cannot knock against other dishes; hand washing with a bottle brush is what Chemex recommends. Nothing Chemex makes goes in the microwave. To keep coffee warm, Chemex allows a low gas flame, a low electric coil with a wire grid between, or a low setting on a glass-top stove, but the better habit is the one the listings point to: cover the carafe and refrigerate what is left, then reheat it gently, or pour into a thermos, which Chemex says holds heat for up to eight hours. The borosilicate glass is the same type used for laboratory ware; it tolerates the swing from cold rinse to hot brew, but it is still glass, and the collar exists because the carafe gets hot.
One person, one mug, small counter: the 3-cup Classic or Glass Handle, with a box of half-moon filters. One or two people, most mornings: the 6-cup Classic - the size Chemex describes as most popular - or the same size with a glass handle if you want it dishwasher-simple, plus a two-box pack of squares. The bundle that pairs the 6-cup with its first hundred filters saves a second order. Three or four cups a morning: the 8-cup. Entertaining: the 10-cup. You want the cup without the pouring: the Ottomatic 2.0 set, which arrives with a 6-cup carafe. Your old Chemex's tie has stretched: the replacement collar and tie fits the 6 and 8-cup (Chemex lists it as fitting everything except the 3-cup). If you are still deciding between a Chemex and a cone dripper, our pour-over coffee maker guide sets the Chemex beside the V60 and Kalita Wave, and the pour-over method guide covers the pour itself.
Thirteen verified listings: the four Classic sizes, two glass-handle models, the filter bundle, the four filter types, the Ottomatic set and the replacement collar. Each capacity and fit is the listing's own statement, read on the date shown on the card, and live prices come from Amazon rather than being retyped here.
The one-person Chemex: 15 oz, the only size that takes the half-moon filter. Listing states the Classic Series 3-cup in non-porous borosilicate glass, measured at 5 oz per cup, that it uses the FP-2 half-circle filters, and that brewed coffee can be covered and refrigerated for reheating.
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Brewer and serving carafe in one piece - the table-service answer to the V60's single cup. Listing states a pour-over glass coffeemaker in non-porous borosilicate glass, using bonded filters, sediment-free.
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The most popular size with a coloured glass handle. Listing states a 6-cup Chemex that brews up to 30 oz, measured at 5 oz per cup, with a sapphire-coloured glass handle, non-porous borosilicate glass, designed for Bonded filters FP-1, FC-100, FS-100 and FSU-100, sold separately.
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Two or three mugs at once - the household size. Listing states the Classic Series 8-cup in non-porous borosilicate glass, measured at 5 oz per cup, using Bonded filters FP-1, FC-100, FS-100 or FSU-100, filters not included.
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The largest Classic - 50 oz for a table of guests. Listing states the Classic Series 10-cup in non-porous borosilicate glass, measured at 5 oz per cup, using Bonded filters FP-1, FC-100, FS-100 or FSU-100, filters not included.
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The 3-cup with a glass handle instead of the wood collar - no collar to remove before the dishwasher. Listing states the Glass Handle Series 3-cup in non-porous borosilicate glass, measured at 5 oz per cup, using the FP-2 half-circle filters, filters not included.
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The 6-cup and its first box of filters in one purchase. Listing states a bundle of the 6-cup Classic Series coffeemaker and a box of 100 square Bonded filters, measured at 5 oz per cup, in non-porous borosilicate glass.
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The standard filter for every size above the 3-cup, bought two boxes at a time. Listing states two boxes of 100 square Bonded filters that are 20-30 percent thicker than competing coffee filters, made in the USA from North American materials and compostable, fitting all Chemex coffeemakers except the CM-1, CM-1C and CM-1GH models.
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The same paper cut as a circle - some people find the fold neater. Listing states 100 circle Bonded filters, 20-30 percent thicker than the competition, fitting all Chemex coffeemakers except CM-1, CM-1C and CM-1GH, with folding instructions: fold in half, fold again, open into a funnel with three layers on the groove side.
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The natural-paper version of the square filter. Listing states 100 unbleached, oxygen-cleansed square Bonded filters with no chemical whiteners, thicker than competing coffee filters, fitting all Chemex coffeemakers.
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The filter for the 3-cup models only. Listing states 100 half-moon Bonded filters, 20-30 percent thicker than the competition, that fit the CM-1, CM-1C and CM-1GH coffeemakers, with the same fold-and-open instructions.
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The Chemex that pours for you - the same carafe and filter, an automatic kettle above it. Listing states an automatic pour-over machine with a 40 oz reservoir that brews up to an 8-cup Chemex hands-free, hot and iced modes at the touch of a button, a set that includes the base, a 6-cup coffeemaker, sample filters, glass cover, filter brew clip and cleaner, 120 V with a limited 1-year warranty.
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The part that wears first - a new collar and tie for a carafe that still has years in it. Listing states a replacement wood collar with an alum-tanned rawhide lace loop and brown wooden bead, designed to go around the coffeemaker as a holder, fitting all coffeemakers except the 3-cup.
Check price on Amazon →30 oz. Chemex measures every coffeemaker at 5 oz per cup, so the 3-cup holds 15 oz, the 6-cup 30 oz, the 8-cup 40 oz and the 10-cup 50 oz. A 12 oz mug is two and a half Chemex cups.
The 6-cup for one or two people - it is the size Chemex calls its most popular and the one recipes assume. The 3-cup only if you brew for one and want the smallest footprint; the 8-cup for three or four cups a morning; the 10-cup for guests.
Squares (FS-100) and circles (FC-100) fit every size except the 3-cup models, which Chemex codes CM-1, CM-1C and CM-1GH; those take the half-moon filter (FP-2), as does the Funnex. The unbleached square FSU-100 is listed as fitting all sizes.
Only the handle. The Classic has a wood collar held on by a leather tie; the Glass Handle has a glass handle fused to the carafe. They brew the same, use the same filters and cost about the same. The glass handle has no collar to remove before washing.
Yes, per Chemex's FAQ, once the wood collar and rawhide tie are removed, and provided the carafe is secure and not knocking against other dishes. Chemex recommends hand washing with a coffeemaker brush, and states that none of its products should go in the microwave.
The Bonded filters are described on their listings as 20 to 30 percent thicker than competing coffee filters. The thicker paper holds back most of the coffee oils and fine sediment, which is what gives a Chemex cup its clean, light body.
Chemex's instructions say one heaping tablespoon per 5 oz cup, ground medium-coarse. In weight that is about 1 g of coffee to 15-17 g of water, so a full 6-cup (30 oz, roughly 890 g of water) takes around 55 g of coffee.
Peter Schlumbohm, a chemist, in 1941. The design is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and in 1958 designers at the Illinois Institute of Technology named it one of the best-designed products of modern times.
Chemex's FAQ allows a low gas flame, a low electric coil with a wire grid between, or a low glass-top setting. Chemex's own suggestions for keeping coffee are to cover and refrigerate it for reheating, or to pour it into a thermos, which it says holds heat for up to eight hours.
Sources for this page: Capacities (3-cup 15 oz / 1 pint; 6-cup 30 oz; 8-cup 40 oz; 10-cup 50 oz), 5 oz per cup, heights and base diameters, filter codes per size (FP-2 for the 3-cup; FP-1, FC-100, FS-100, FSU-100 for the rest), borosilicate glass and the dishwasher note: Chemex's own product pages for the Three, Six, Eight and Ten Cup Classic, chemexcoffeemaker.com, read 2026-09-16; corroborated by each coffeemaker's Amazon listing read the same day, which states 5 oz as 1 cup and the filter codes · Ottomatic 2.0 fit (3, 6 and 8-cup Classic and Glass Handle; 3 and 5-cup Handblown), 197.6-204.8 F brewing range, 90-minute hot plate, iced mode and dimensions: Chemex's Ottomatic product page, read 2026-09-16; the 40 oz reservoir and set contents from the Ottomatic set's Amazon listing read the same day · Series line-up and the Handblown sizes (3, 5, 8 and 13 cup, listed as sold out at the read): Chemex's coffeemakers collection page, read 2026-09-16 · Care rules (dishwasher once collar and rawhide are removed; no microwave; low flame, low coil with wire grid or low glass-top to keep warm; thermos holds heat up to 8 hours; halfmoon filters fit the 3-cup and Funnex): Chemex FAQ page, read 2026-09-16 · Filter thickness (20-30 percent thicker than competing filters), made in the USA from North American materials, compostable, unbleached oxygen-cleansed paper, fit statements by model code (CM-1, CM-1C, CM-1GH) and the fold-and-place instructions: the Chemex filter listings on Amazon, read 2026-09-16 · History (invented by Peter Schlumbohm in 1941; Museum of Modern Art collection; 1958 Illinois Institute of Technology recognition) and the effect of the thicker filter on oils and sediment: Wikipedia, Chemex Coffeemaker, read 2026-09-16 · Dose (one heaping tablespoon per 5 oz cup, medium-coarse grind, bloom then slow circular pour): Chemex's Six Cup Classic product page and the filter listings, read 2026-09-16; gram equivalents from our coffee-to-water ratio guide · Product capacities, fit and prices: each product's own Amazon listing (title and feature bullets), read on 2026-09-16; every card links to the listing it was read from We have not lab-tested brewers; where a figure is a manufacturer's, the page names the manufacturer, and machine capabilities come from our own published review records.