When it comes to car audio, there are multiple ways to measure a woofer. The most common way is by measuring the diameter of the cone. However, other important factors such as the height and width of the surround also play a role in determining how big a woofer is.
The size of a woofer generally falls into one of three categories: small, medium or large. Small woofers typically have diameters between four and six inches. Medium woofers fall between six and eight inches, while large woofers can be up to 12 inches or more across.
While cone size is the most important factor in determining a woofer's size, other elements such as the height and width of the surround also play a role. The surround is the ring that surrounds the edge of the cone and helps to keep it in place. Surrounds can be made from different materials, but they all serve the same basic purpose.
Woofer sizes are usually measured in two ways: peak-to-peak (P2P) or outer diameter (OD). Peak-to-peak measurement takes into account the distance between the highest point on the cone and the lowest point onthe surrounding ring. This method is used mostly for subwoofers, as it gives a more accurate representation of how much air a woofer can move when producing bass frequencies. Outer diameter measurement simply refers tothe distance acrossthe entirewoofer -coneand surround included. This method is more commonly used for car audio applications, as it's easier to determine speaker placement when working with larger OD measurements