Scale Explorer

Microscopic

How big is a human egg cell?

Human egg cell · Mature oocyte at ovulation

Diameter at ovulation
110–120 µm 0.0043–0.0047 in range
Mean measured diameter (mature MII oocytes)
≈ 123 µm 0.00484 in approx.
Show
Red blood cell, Human egg cell, Human hair (width), Human drawn to the same scaleRed blood cell: diameter 7.5–8.7 µm (too small to see at this scale). Human egg cell: diameter at ovulation 110–120 µm (too small to see at this scale). Human hair (width): average diameter ≈ 70 µm (too small to see at this scale). Human: height 1.61–1.75 m.Red blood cell: 7.5–8.7 µm (too small to see at this scale)Human egg cell: 110–120 µm (too small to see at this scale)Human hair (width): ≈ 70 µm (too small to see at this scale)Human: 1.61–1.75 mHuman1.61–1.75 mRed blood cell7.5–8.7 µm · too small to seeHuman egg cell110–120 µm · too small to seeHuman hair (width)≈ 70 µm · too small to see

Red blood cell, Human egg cell and Human hair (width) are too small to see at this scale and are marked with ▲.

Everything is drawn to the same scale, standing on the same ground line. Silhouettes are simplified outlines scaled to the measured dimension. A faded outline shows the top of a size range.

Compare Human egg cell with something else →

Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Diameter at ovulation 110–120 µm 0.0043–0.0047 in Final oocyte diameter reached by ovulation, as stated in the paper's introduction. Range: varies [1]
Mean measured diameter (mature MII oocytes) ≈ 123 µm ≈ 0.00484 in 123 +/- 9.7 µm for metaphase II oocytes matured in vitro, measured from the inner side of the zona pellucida (zona not included). Approximate [1]

About the human egg cell

The human egg cell, or oocyte, is the female reproductive cell and one of the largest cells in the body. It develops inside a follicle in the ovary and is enclosed by a protective outer coat called the zona pellucida. By ovulation it has reached a final diameter of around 110 to 120 µm, not counting that coat.

  • In a study of immature human oocytes collected from ovarian tissue and matured in the lab, diameters ranged from 60 to 171 µm, with a mean of 115 µm. [1]
  • The same study found that oocytes that reached full maturity (metaphase II) were larger on average than those that did not. [1]

How many fit?

  • ≈ 15,000 × Human egg cell · diameter at ovulation lined up end to end match the Human · height
  • ≈ 13–16 × Red blood cell · diameter lined up end to end match the Human egg cell · diameter at ovulation

Counts divide one sourced figure by another. "End to end" uses each object's main measurement; weight and volume rows appear only when both figures are sourced.

How it compares

  • 13–16× A human egg cell is about 13–16 times as across as a red blood cell. See side by side
  • 1.6× A human egg cell is about 1.6 times as across as the width of a human hair is wide. See side by side
  • 0.1–1.9× A human egg cell is roughly as across as a grain of sand is wide: between 0.1 and 1.9 times, depending on size. See side by side
  • 1/28–45 A black garden ant is about 28–45 times as long as a human egg cell is across. See side by side
  • 1/55–68 A grain of rice is about 55–68 times as long as a human egg cell is across. See side by side
  • 1/15,000 An average adult is about 15,000 times as tall as a human egg cell is across. See side by side

Factors compare the diameter at ovulation of a human egg cell with each object’s own main measurement (height for a human). Where a size varies, the factor is given as a range.

Notes on these figures

  • The study's own measurements exclude the zona pellucida, so the egg with its coat is somewhat wider; no sourced zona thickness was fetched.
  • Only one source was used; no sourced mass or volume was found.

Sources

  1. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics (via PubMed Central, NIH), Oocyte diameter predicts the maturation rate of human immature oocytes collected ex vivo (Pors et al., 2022). Accessed 25 September 2026.

Related objects