List of the largest cannon by caliber
The list of cannon by caliber contains all types of cannon through the ages listed in decreasing caliber size. For the purpose of this list, the development of large-calibre artillery can be divided into three periods, based on the kind of projectiles used, due to their dissimilar characteristics, and being practically incommensurable in terms of their bore size:
- Stone balls: Cannon of extraordinary bore, which fired stone balls, were first introduced at the turn of the 14th to 15th century in Western Europe. Following a logic of increasing performance through size, they had evolved from small handguns to giant wrought-iron or cast-bronze bombards within a span of just several decades.
- Iron balls and shot: By the 16th century, however, a general switch from stone balls to smaller, but much more effective iron projectiles was in full swing. This and the parallel tendency towards standardized, rapid-firing cannon made the enormously costly and logistically demanding giant guns soon obsolete in the European theatre.
- Explosive shells: In the Industrial Age, artillery was again revolutionized by the introduction of explosive shells, beginning with the Paixhans guns. Breakthroughs in metallurgy and modes of production were followed up by new experimentation with super-sized caliber weapons, culminating in the steel colossi of the two World Wars. In the post-war era, the development of extremely overpowered artillery was gradually abandoned in favour of missile technology, while heavy guns are still demanded by various arms of the service.
Cannon by caliber
Stone balls
Heyday: 15th to 16th centuries| Caliber | Name | Type | Produced | Place of origin | Made by | |
| 890 | Tsar Cannon | Bombard | 1586 | Tsardom of Russia | Andrey Chokhov | |
| 820 | Pumhart von Steyr | Bombard | House of Habsburg, | |||
| 745 | Basilic | Bombard | 1453 |  Ottoman Empire | Orban | |
| 735 | Faule Mette | Bombard | 1411 | City of Brunswick, | Henning Bussenschutte | |
| 700 | Malik-i-Maidan | Bombard | City of Bijapur | Muhammad Bin Husain Rumi | ||
| 660 | Dulle Griet | Bombard | City of Ghent, County of, Duchy of | |||
| 635 | Rajagopala Beerangi | Bombard | 1620 | Thanjavur Fort, Tamil Nadu, India was used in 1650 during the Nayak period to protect Thanjavur from enemies who entered through Keelavasal. This huge cannon was cast at Kollumedu near Thanjavur and erected in 1620 | Vikas Naikwade | |
| 635 | Dardanelles Gun or Great Turkish Bombard | Bombard | 1464 | Ottoman Empire | Munir Ali | |
| 530 | Galeazzesca Vittoriosa | Bombard | 1471 | Duchy of Milan Caliber: 530 mm ; Mass: ~ 8.6-8.8 t; Shell weight: 209 kg | Giovanni Garbagnate | |
| 520 | Faule Grete | Bombard | 1409 | Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights | Heynrich Dumechen | |
| 520 | Mons Meg | Bombard | 1449 | Mons, County of Hainaut, Duchy of Burgundy | Jehan Cambier | |
| 510 | Bombard | 1480 | Knights Hospitaller |
Iron balls and shot
Heyday: 16th to 19th centuries| Caliber | Name | Type | Produced | Place of origin | Made by | |
| 280 | Kanone Greif | Scharfmetze | 1524 | Electorate of Trier | Master Simon | |
| cannon | 280 | Jaivana | 1720 | Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur Riyasat, Mughal Empire | ||
| 286 | Dal Madal Kaman/Dala Mardana | 1565 | Mallabhum, Bengal Subah, Mughal Empire | Jagannath Karmakar | ||
| Jahan Kosha Cannon | 1637 | Bengal Subah, Mughal Empire | Janardan Karmakar | |||
| 240 | Zamzama | 1757 | Durrani Empire | Shah Nazir |
Twenty-inch Rodman and Dahlgren smoothbore cannons were cast in 1864 during the American Civil War. The Rodmans were used as seacoast defense. Although not used as intended, two 20-inch Dahlgrens were intended to be mounted in the turrets of and.
Explosive shells
Heyday: 19th to 20th centuries| Caliber | Name | Type | Produced | Place of origin | Made by | |
| 914 | Mallet's mortar | Mortar | 1857 |  United Kingdom | Robert Mallet | |
| 914 | Little David | Mortar | 1945 | |||
| 800 | Schwerer Gustav | Railway gun | 1941 | Krupp | ||
| 800 | Dora | Railway gun | 1942 | Krupp | ||
| 610 | Mortier monstre | Mortar | 1832 |  Belgium | Henri-Joseph Paixhans | |
| 600 | Karl-Gerät | Mortar | 1940 | Rheinmetall | ||
| 520 | Obusier de 520 modèle 1916 | Railway howitzer | 1918 |  France | Schneider et Cie | |
| 460 | 40 cm/45 Type 94 | Naval gun | 1940 | Kure Naval Arsenal | ||
| 457.2 | BL 18 inch railway howitzer | Railway howitzer | 1920 | United Kingdom | Elswick Ordnance Company | |
| 457.2 | BL 18 inch Mk I naval gun | Naval gun | 1916 | Elswick Ordnance Company | ||
| 457 | 18"/48 caliber Mark 1 gun | Naval gun | 1942 | |||
| 450 | RML 17.72 inch gun | Naval gun | 1877 | United Kingdom | Elswick Ordnance Company | |
| 420 | Big Bertha | Howitzer | 1910s | Krupp | ||
| 420 | 42 cm Gamma Mörser | Mortar | 1910s | / | Krupp | |
| 420 | 2B1 Oka | Mortar | 1957 | KBM Kirov Plant | ||
| 420 | 42 cm Haubitze M. 14/16 | Howitzer | 1914-1918 | Škoda | ||
| 412.8 | BL 16.25 inch Mk I naval gun | Naval gun | 1888 | Elswick Ordnance Company | ||
| 410 | 41 cm/45 3rd Year Type | Naval gun | ||||
| 406 | 16"/50 caliber M1919 gun | Gun | 1920 | Watervliet Arsenal | ||
| 406 | 16"/50 caliber Mark 2 gun | Gun | 1920 | Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., Bethlehem Steel | ||
| 406 | BL 16 inch Mk I naval gun | Naval gun | 1927 | |||
| 406 | 40.6 cm SK C/34 gun | Naval gun | Krupp | |||
| 406 | 2A3 Kondensator 2P | Howitzer | 1956 | KB SM Kirov Plant | ||
| 406 | 406 mm/50 B-37 naval gun for s | Naval gun | 1937 | Barrikady Plant, Stalingrad | ||
| 406 | 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun for the s | Naval gun | 1943 | Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. |