The largest pumpkin in the world now weighs 3,156 pounds
A Rhode Island grower just set the pumpkin world record at 3,156 pounds. Here's how giants get that heavy, what your carving pumpkin weighs, and what pumpkins cost per pound and per piece in 2026.
Ron Wallace's pumpkin settled onto the scale at 3,156 pounds on October 10, and Guinness World Records has confirmed it's now the largest pumpkin in the world. It's the first pumpkin ever to pass 3,000 pounds.
That's about 1,431.5 kilograms, grown by a 60-year-old from Coventry, Rhode Island. The jack-o'-lantern on your porch probably weighs 10 to 20 pounds, so the champion outweighs somewhere between 158 and 315 of them.
The largest pumpkin in the world beat the old record by nearly 300 pounds
The weigh-in happened at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off at Frerichs Farm in Warren, Rhode Island. Officials from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth inspected the fruit before it went on the scale, which is how a backyard giant becomes an official Guinness record.
The old mark didn't last long. Britain's Ian Paton had his pumpkin, nicknamed Bagheera, confirmed at 2,856 pounds 12.8 ounces on October 3, and a week later it was second best. Wallace told Guinness he was "beyond happy" when he saw the number, and he credits his first season growing in a greenhouse.
The new record is 3,156 pounds, or 1,431.5 kilograms. It's the first pumpkin over 3,000 pounds, and it beat the previous record by nearly 300 pounds only one week after that record was set.
How a world record pumpkin grows that heavy
Every serious contender is an Atlantic Giant, the only variety growers consider genetically capable of record weights. Proven seeds from parents that reached 1,500 to 2,000 pounds can sell for hundreds of dollars each.
Up to 50 pounds a day
At peak growth an Atlantic Giant can put on 30 to 50 pounds a day. Growers aim for about 30 pounds a day by day 30 after pollination, and the whole season runs 120 to 160 days from an indoor start in mid-April.
Most of that weight is water
Pumpkins are roughly 90% water, so about 2,840 pounds of the champion is just water. At 8.34 pounds per gallon that's around 340 gallons, and you can check the math with our water weight guide.
The heaviest pumpkin in the world, record by record
Wallace isn't new to this. He grew the first pumpkin past 1,500 pounds in 2006 and the first past 2,000 pounds in 2012, so he now owns three of the sport's biggest milestones.
| Grower | Weight | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Wallace | 1,502 lb (681.3 kg) | 2006 |
| Ron Wallace | 2,009 lb (911.27 kg) | 2012 |
| Ian and Stuart Paton | 2,819 lb (1,278.8 kg) | 2025 |
| Ian Paton | 2,856 lb (1,295.8 kg) | 2026 |
| Ron Wallace | 3,156 lb (1,431.5 kg) | 2026 |
Look at the gaps. It took six years to add about 500 pounds between 2006 and 2012, yet the jump from 2,856 to 3,156 pounds happened in seven days. Want those weights in metric? Our pounds to kilograms converter does it in one step.
How much does a pumpkin weigh at the patch?
The average pumpkin weight for a Halloween carver is 10 to 20 pounds, according to the University of Georgia's extension service. A 15-pound jack-o'-lantern is a fair middle guess when you're budgeting.
Cooking instead of carving? Pie pumpkins are far smaller, and our pumpkin puree recipe shows how much puree one of them yields.
Weighing yours with a bathroom scale
Most bathroom scales aren't precise to the ounce, so this trick suits bigger pumpkins. For a small one, use a kitchen scale, and it's worth a quick calibration check first.
How much does a pumpkin cost this year?
Pumpkin prices are up again. USDA data cited by Yahoo News puts the national average at up to $6.20 a pumpkin in 2026, compared with $5.80 in 2023 and about $4 in 2020. Drought, heat, fuel and fertilizer costs all pushed the price for a pumpkin higher.
| Pumpkin size | Typical price | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Pie | $3 to $5 | Flat, each |
| Small tabletop | $6 to $8 | Flat, each |
| Medium carving | $10 to $14 | Flat, each |
| Large or jumbo | $16 to $24 | Flat, each |
| Field carving | $0.59 to $0.89 | Per pound |
| Heirloom | $0.89 to $1.25 | Per pound |
Those pumpkin patch prices come from a 2026 roundup of farm pricing, and they swing a lot by region. Grocery stores can be cheaper: ShopRite listed pumpkins at $4.99 each this season, while Big Y charged $8.99.
Per pound or flat rate, which is cheaper?
Do the math before you pick. A 15-pound carver at $0.59 to $0.89 a pound costs $8.85 to $13.35, about the same as a flat $10 to $14 medium. Go bigger and per-pound pricing works against you, since a 25-pounder runs $14.75 to $22.25.
At field-carving rates of $0.59 to $0.89 a pound, the new world record would ring up somewhere between $1,862 and $2,809. Don't go looking for one in the bin.
Questions people ask about the biggest pumpkin
What is the biggest pumpkin ever grown?
It's Ron Wallace's 3,156-pound Atlantic Giant, weighed on October 10, 2026, in Warren, Rhode Island. That makes it the largest pumpkin ever verified by Guinness World Records, and the first one above 3,000 pounds.
How many carving pumpkins equal the record?
Using a 15-pound jack-o'-lantern, you'd need about 210 of them to match 3,156 pounds. At the 2026 USDA average of up to $6.20 each, that pile would cost about $1,302.
Can you carve a pumpkin that big?
Yes. Guinness recognized a jack-o'-lantern carved from a pumpkin weighing 2,560 pounds back in 2022. Most growers display or sell their giants instead, but it has been done.
Need to weigh something fast? Snap a photo of your pumpkin with Scale for Grams and get an AI-powered weight estimate in seconds, before you ever reach the checkout scale. Get the app here: iOS.
Scale for Grams
Need to Weigh Something?
Download Scale for Grams and get an AI weight estimate from a photo in seconds.
