BIG. This thing is huge, I know it says 17", but until you unpack and see it you really can't truly comprehend how large it truly is. It's very heavy as well, which is a very good indicator, to me at least, that it's indeed solid cast iron. I haven't used it yet, as I have to take a weekend and season this and a number of other pieces that I got, as I honestly prefer to season them myself to be 100% sure.