Rigatoni vs Ziti
Rigatoni is wide ridged tube cut straight across. Ziti is smooth medium tube, cut straight; sold long or cut.
Side by side, to scale
10 mmRigatoni: 45 to 60 mm by 14 to 17 mm
Ziti: 50 to 60 mm by 9 to 11 mm
Footprints from the length and width in each record, one scale for both. See every shape on the chart.
| Family | Tubes | Tubes |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Lazio | Campania |
| Section | Wide ridged tube cut straight across | Smooth medium tube, cut straight; sold long or cut |
| Length | 45 to 60 mm | 50 to 60 mm |
| Width or diameter | 14 to 17 mm | 9 to 11 mm |
| Wall or thickness | 1.1 to 1.3 mm | 1 to 1.3 mm |
| Surface | Ridged | Smooth |
| Hollow | Yes | Yes |
| Dough | Semolina and water | Semolina and water |
| Cook time | 12 to 14 min | 11 to 14 min |
| Brands with a page | De Cecco, Rummo, Mancini, Barilla, La Molisana | De Cecco, Rummo, Barilla, La Molisana |
| Catalogue numbers | De Cecco no. 24, De Cecco no. 124, Rummo no. 50, La Molisana no. 31 | De Cecco no. 118, Rummo no. 36, Rummo no. 10, La Molisana no. 36, La Molisana no. 8, La Molisana no. 10 |
| Cook time across brands | 11 to 14 min | 8 to 12 min |
| Brand dimensions | Rummo: 40 mm long, 14.5 mm across; Mancini: 45 mm long, 19.2 mm across | Rummo: 40 mm long, 8.4 mm across |
| Energy, dry, per 100 g | 371 kcal (dry semolina pasta) | 371 kcal (dry semolina pasta) |
| Protein, dry, per 100 g | 13.0 g | 13.0 g |
| Products catalogued | 384 | 74 |
| Pairs with | Amatriciana, Meat ragu, Sausage ragu, Norma, Carbonara, Gricia, Baked (al forno), Vodka sauce | Ragu napoletano, Baked (al forno), Pomodoro, Marinara, Meat ragu |
Rigatoni
The widest bore of the everyday tubes, so pieces of sausage, eggplant, or braised meat ride inside it. The ridges hold sauce and grated cheese on the outside. The square-cut ends scoop. It wants amatriciana, a slow ragu, sausage, and baked dishes. Thin oil sauces drain straight through.
Ziti
A smooth tube holds sauce inside the bore rather than on the surface, so it wants a sauce with enough body to fill it: a slow ragu, the Neapolitan onion Genovese, a baked tomato and cheese.
Can you swap them?
Rigatoni for ziti: yes, wider and ridged, for a heavier sauce.
Both take Meat ragu, Baked (al forno).
Only rigatoni: Amatriciana, Sausage ragu, Norma, Carbonara, Gricia, Vodka sauce.
Only ziti: Ragu napoletano, Pomodoro, Marinara.
Sources
- Dimensions, surface, dough, and cook time: each shape page names the brand page, spec sheet, or measured box behind every figure.
- Brands, catalogue numbers, brand cook times, and brand dimensions: the brand product pages linked on each shape page, read on 2026-08-25.
- Energy and protein: USDA FoodData Central, per 100 g of the dough, public domain.
- Products catalogued: Open Food Facts, Open Database License, read on 2026-08-25. A crowd database: a count is a floor.