Chicken eggs are graded by size, for the purpose of sales. The United States Department of Agriculture sizing is based by weight per dozen. The most common US size of chicken egg is 'Large' and is the egg size commonly referred to for recipes. It is also the egg size used most commonly by pysankarky. 

The following egg masses have been calculated on the basis of the USDA sizing:

Modern Sizes (USA)

Eggshell thickness is inversely proportional to egg size, especially with commercially produced white chicken eggs.  The larger the egg, the thinner its shell.  For this reason, large eggs are usually the best choice, as they provide a larger working area than the smaller eggs, but still have a reasonably thick shell.

Additionally, the smoothness of the surface decreases as egg size increases.  Smaller eggs tend to have smoother surfaces, while those of the very large eggs tend to be much bumpier.  (There is seasonal variation in play here, as eggs tend to be a bit bumpier in the spring, and smoother in the summer. This apparently has something to do with chicken maturity.)

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