Lush Food & Drink

Buying Guide ·Preserving

Best Lightweight Dehydrator Trays for Home Fruit Drying

The deciding specification is the published weight, and on all five of these listings it covers the whole pack rather than one tray.

By the Lush Editorial Team·Researched & Compared

  • Researched & ComparedSpecs pulled from the manufacturer listing
  • Like-for-LikeSame measures across every model
  • No Paid PlacementsNobody pays to appear here

I compared published pack weight, piece count, stated size, material, surface, thickness, temperature range and machine compatibility across five dehydrator tray listings, using only each maker's own text.

Our shortlist

Five products, one set of published numbers.
  1. GUCUJI Pack of 5 Premium Non stick Round Silicone De...
    Best for a Nesco round dehydrator

    GUCUJI Pack of 5 Premium Non stick Round Silicone De...

    A published 0.32 lb for five round silicone mesh sheets of 12.6 inch diameter, stated at 0.8 mm thick with holes of about 1 by 1 mm, rated -40 F to 428 F and able to be cut to any size.

    • GUCUJI
    • 12.6 inch for NESCO FD-61 FD-75... 5Pcs
    • 0.32 lb
  2. Nesco SLD-2-6 American Harvest 13.75" Fruit Roll She...
    Best for purees and sauces

    Nesco SLD-2-6 American Harvest 13.75" Fruit Roll She...

    A published 0.3 lb for two solid 13.75 inch fruit roll sheets in food grade plastic, with a stated no spill lip and the only capacity figure on this page at up to 3 cups of puree per sheet.

    • NESCO
    • Compatible with Nesco Food Dehydrators
    • 0.3 lb
  3. Cosori Food Dehydrator Accessories
    Best for finely sliced herbs

    Cosori Food Dehydrator Accessories

    A published 0.8 lb for two BPA free mesh screens the maker states as 15 x 15 inches, for any square dehydrator with a larger tray, hand wash only and not dishwasher safe.

    • Cosori
    • 15" x 15"
    • 0.8 lb
  4. Nesco WT-2SG Round Speckled Plastic 13 1/2" Add-A-Tr...
    Best for adding rack space

    Nesco WT-2SG Round Speckled Plastic 13 1/2" Add-A-Tr...

    A published 1.0 lb for a set of two speckled food grade plastic Add-A-Trays, made in the USA and stated compatible with 13 1/2 inch diameter trays in the Nesco 20 Series and 30 Series.

    • NESCO
    • for Nesco 20 Series and 30 Series Food Dehydrators
    • 1 lb
  5. Baderke 4 Pcs Stainless Steel Dehydrator Trays Compa...
    Best for a surface you can scrub

    Baderke 4 Pcs Stainless Steel Dehydrator Trays Compa...

    A published 1.51 lb for four trays of 304 solid stainless steel at about 12 by 13 inches, stated compatible with the CP267-FD dehydrator and no other model.

    • Baderke
    • 1.51 lb

Side by side

Blank means the maker does not publish it.
ModelBrandSize (capacity)WeightBest for
GUCUJI Pack of 5 Premium Non stick Round Silicone De... GUCUJI 12.6 inch for NESCO FD-61 FD-75... 5Pcs 0.32 lb Best for a Nesco round dehydrator
Nesco SLD-2-6 American Harvest 13.75" Fruit Roll She... NESCO Compatible with Nesco Food Dehydrators 0.3 lb Best for purees and sauces
Cosori Food Dehydrator Accessories Cosori 15" x 15" 0.8 lb Best for finely sliced herbs
Nesco WT-2SG Round Speckled Plastic 13 1/2" Add-A-Tr... NESCO for Nesco 20 Series and 30 Series Food Dehydrators 1 lb Best for adding rack space
Baderke 4 Pcs Stainless Steel Dehydrator Trays Compa... Baderke not published 1.51 lb Best for a surface you can scrub

Each pick in detail

What the listing says for it, and against it.
1 Best for a Nesco round dehydrator

GUCUJI Pack of 5 Premium Non stick Round Silicone De...

A published 0.32 lb for five round silicone mesh sheets of 12.6 inch diameter, stated at 0.8 mm thick with holes of about 1 by 1 mm, rated -40 F to 428 F and able to be cut to any size.

  • For it
  • 0.32 lb covers five sheets, the largest piece count among these five
  • The only pick that publishes a thickness, at 0.8 mm
  • The only pick that publishes a temperature range, -40 F to 428 F
  • Mesh holes stated at about 1 by 1 mm, fine enough for berries
  • Against it
  • Publishes no dimension fields, only a package size of 13 x 13 x 0.1 inches
  • Publishes no capacity, so how much puree a sheet holds is unstated
  • Mesh will not hold a thin liquid, which the listing does not spell out
2 Best for purees and sauces

Nesco SLD-2-6 American Harvest 13.75" Fruit Roll She...

A published 0.3 lb for two solid 13.75 inch fruit roll sheets in food grade plastic, with a stated no spill lip and the only capacity figure on this page at up to 3 cups of puree per sheet.

  • For it
  • The only pick that publishes a capacity, up to 3 cups of puree per sheet
  • A solid surface with a stated no spill lip for sauces and soups
  • 0.3 lb for the pair, the lowest pack figure of the five
  • Names the machines it fits, including the FD-1010 and the FD-80
  • Against it
  • The title says 13.75 inches and the first bullet says it suits 15 1/2 inch trays
  • Hand wash only, stated in the same bullet as the material
  • Publishes no dimension fields at all, only a package size
3 Best for finely sliced herbs

Cosori Food Dehydrator Accessories

A published 0.8 lb for two BPA free mesh screens the maker states as 15 x 15 inches, for any square dehydrator with a larger tray, hand wash only and not dishwasher safe.

  • For it
  • The maker states the item as 15 x 15 inches in its own bullet
  • Sold as two screens and described as BPA free
  • Fits any square dehydrator whose tray is larger than the stated size
  • 0.8 lb for the pair, so a rigid screen is not a heavy addition
  • Against it
  • The dimension fields read 15 x 15 x 15 inches, which no screen can be
  • Names no material, which is the specification a hot part most needs
  • Hand wash only and explicitly not dishwasher safe
4 Best for adding rack space

Nesco WT-2SG Round Speckled Plastic 13 1/2" Add-A-Tr...

A published 1.0 lb for a set of two speckled food grade plastic Add-A-Trays, made in the USA and stated compatible with 13 1/2 inch diameter trays in the Nesco 20 Series and 30 Series.

  • For it
  • A rigid tray rather than a liner, so it needs nothing underneath
  • Names the Nesco 20 Series and 30 Series and the FD-37 by model
  • Stated food grade plastic, reusable and easy to clean
  • Stated made in the USA, which no other pick here claims
  • Against it
  • Dimension fields of 4 x 2.5 x 14 inches cannot describe a 13 1/2 inch round tray
  • Publishes no thickness, no temperature rating and no capacity
  • Two trays per pack, and the listing does not say how many a machine takes
5 Best for a surface you can scrub

Baderke 4 Pcs Stainless Steel Dehydrator Trays Compa...

A published 1.51 lb for four trays of 304 solid stainless steel at about 12 by 13 inches, stated compatible with the CP267-FD dehydrator and no other model.

  • For it
  • Four trays in the pack, stated as 304 solid stainless steel
  • Stated at about 12 by 13 inches, so the drying surface is known
  • Rigid and scrubbable, with no silicone sag to plan around
  • Says plainly that it fits the CP267-FD, with no vague compatibility claim
  • Against it
  • 1.51 lb is the heaviest pack figure of these five
  • Compatible with one dehydrator model only, by the maker's own words
  • Publishes dimension fields of 12.01 x 12.99 x 0.2 inches and no package figure

Our verdict

GUCUJI publishes 0.32 lb for five silicone mesh sheets of 12.6 inch diameter, thickness stated at 0.8 mm. The Nesco SLD-2-6 publishes 0.3 lb for two solid fruit roll sheets and up to 3 cups of puree per sheet. Cosori publishes 0.8 lb for two mesh screens the maker states as 15 x 15 inches. The Nesco WT-2SG publishes 1.0 lb for two plastic trays. Baderke publishes 1.51 lb for four stainless steel trays.

“A weight on a tray listing is usually counting the whole pack.”

Lush Editorial Team

What separates these five

Weight published GUCUJI 0.32 lb, Nesco SLD-2-6 0.3 lb, Cosori 0.8 lb, Nesco WT-2SG 1.0 lb, Baderke 1.51 lb. Every one of those figures covers the whole pack.
Pieces per pack Five sheets from GUCUJI and four trays from Baderke. The other three picks are pairs, which is why their weights read low.
Capacity published The Nesco SLD-2-6 states up to 3 cups of puree per sheet. No other pick on this page publishes a capacity of any kind.
Heat rating published GUCUJI states -40 F to 428 F. The other four listings say nothing at all about the temperature their surface will take.
Fields that contradict the text Cosori publishes 15 x 15 x 15 inches for a flat screen and Nesco WT-2SG publishes a 4 inch field for a 13 1/2 inch tray.

How we chose

Priorities, not a computed score. The inputs are published specifications, so we rank by what matters most and say how much.

  1. 30% The published weight next to the piece countIt is the page's question, and it is meaningless alone: 0.3 lb covers two sheets while 0.32 lb covers five, so the two figures describe opposite things.
  2. 25% Whether the stated size can be believedTwo of these five publish a dimension trio that contradicts their own bullets, so the size a buyer measures against had to come from the maker's sentence instead.
  3. 20% What the surface actually isMesh holds small pieces and lets liquid through, a solid sheet with a lip does the reverse, and a rigid tray needs nothing beneath it. That decides the purchase more than weight.
  4. 15% Fit stated by modelBaderke names one machine and no other, GUCUJI can be cut to any size, and the rest sit between those two positions.
  5. 10% What the listing says about heat and cleaningOnly GUCUJI publishes a temperature range, and only three of the five say how the part should be washed, so this had to carry the least weight of all.

How the Five Compare on the Numbers

Sixteen tray and sheet listings sit on the fact sheet for this topic and most of them are silicone liners sold in packs of two, four, six or twelve. That matters more than it looks, because the weight a listing publishes is the weight of everything in the box. A pack of five sheets and a pack of twelve are not two products of different weights. They are two different quantities of the same thing.

So the five below were picked to keep the quantity readable rather than to chase the lowest figure. Each one states how many pieces it contains, and between them they cover a mesh liner, a solid fruit roll sheet, a mesh screen, a rigid plastic tray and a stainless steel tray. Two of the five are Nesco parts with different published figures, so both appear.

Specification GUCUJI Nesco SLD-2-6 Cosori Nesco WT-2SG Baderke
Weight published, whole pack 0.32 lb 0.3 lb 0.8 lb 1.0 lb 1.51 lb
Pieces stated Five Two Two Two Four
Size in the maker’s own words 12.6 in diameter 13.75 in 15 x 15 in 13 1/2 in trays About 12 x 13 in
Dimension fields published not published not published 15 x 15 x 15 in 4 x 2.5 x 14 in 12.01 x 12.99 x 0.2 in
Package dimensions published 13 x 13 x 0.1 in 13.75 x 13.75 x 0.5 in not published not published not published
Material stated Food grade silicone Food grade plastic not published Food grade plastic 304 solid stainless steel
Surface Coated mesh, 1 x 1 mm holes Solid, with a no spill lip Mesh screen Speckled rigid tray Rigid steel tray, surface not described
Thickness stated 0.8 mm not published not published not published not published
Temperature range stated -40 F to 428 F not published not published not published not published
Capacity stated not published Up to 3 cups of puree per sheet not published not published not published
Cleaning stated Rinse in warm soapy water Hand wash only Hand wash only, not dishwasher safe Reusable and easy to clean Easy to clean, method not stated
Machines named Nesco FD-61 and FD-75A among others Nesco FD-1010 and FD-80 Cosori P101 and other square models Nesco 20 Series and 30 Series CP267-FD only
Can be cut to size Yes, to any size not published not published not published not published

What the table cannot tell you is how any of this behaves once it is loaded and hot. None of the five publishes a sag figure, a warp temperature for the plastic parts or an airflow loss for the mesh, and only GUCUJI puts a number on the sheet itself at 0.8 mm. The Cosori screen does not even name its material, which on a hot part is the specification a buyer most wants.

What the Weight Field Is Actually Weighing

Five Sheets in a Third of a Pound

GUCUJI publishes 0.32 lb, and the listing is explicit that the pack holds five round sheets of 12.6 inch diameter. The same listing gives the thickness at 0.8 mm and the mesh holes at about 1 by 1 mm, which is the most detailed description of a drying surface in the whole pool. A figure that covers five pieces and still sits under a third of a pound tells you these sheets are very thin indeed.

The Nesco SLD-2-6 publishes 0.3 lb for two fruit roll sheets. Read the weight column alone and it looks like the lighter product. Read the quantity beside it and the picture reverses, because one figure covers five pieces and the other covers two. Neither listing publishes the weight of a single sheet, so the arithmetic a buyer wants is not on the page and cannot be done honestly from what is there.

Four Steel Trays at 1.51 Pounds

Baderke publishes 1.51 lb, the heaviest figure of the five, and the listing says the package holds four trays of 304 solid stainless steel measuring about 12 by 13 inches. Steel does not flex, does not need a rigid tray underneath it and can be scrubbed, so the weight is buying something. The listing is also the strictest on fit in the group: it names one machine, CP267-FD, and says compatible with that model only.

Between those ends sit the Cosori screen at 0.8 lb for two and the Nesco WT-2SG at 1.0 lb for two. Both are rigid parts rather than liners, and both publish a weight that covers a pair. On a page about a lightweight build, the useful conclusion is that every figure here is a pack figure, and a pack figure only means something next to the count that goes with it.

Where Two Listings Contradict Themselves

A Mesh Screen With Three Identical Numbers

The Cosori mesh screen publishes 15 x 15 x 15 inches in its dimension fields. A mesh screen for a food dehydrator cannot be a cube. The maker’s own bullet settles it in one line: item dimensions are 15 x 15 inches, suitable for any dehydrator with a tray larger than that. Two of the three numbers are the screen and the third is the first one repeated, which is a placeholder rather than a measurement.

That is the figure used above, on the maker’s own words, and the dimension trio is reported in the table as published rather than corrected. It leaves a real gap. Nothing in the listing gives the thickness of the screen, the gauge of its mesh or the size of its holes, and on a mesh part those are the numbers that decide whether sliced herbs stay on the rack or fall through it.

A Tray Narrower Than the Tray It Replaces

The Nesco WT-2SG publishes 4 x 2.5 x 14 inches, and its own title calls it a 13 1/2 inch Add-A-Tray sold in a set of two. A round tray of that diameter cannot pass through a 4 inch field, and one of the three published numbers is narrower than the part itself. The bullet repeats the point: compatible with 13 1/2 inch diameter trays. The title and the bullet agree, and the fields do not.

So the title and the bullet are what this page went with, and the field trio was set aside. It is worth saying plainly that no comparison here is anchored on it. The listing does publish a weight of 1.0 lb for the pair, a plastic grade described as food grade and the two Nesco dehydrator series it fits, and those three facts are the whole of what it verifiably offers.

Mesh, Solid Sheets and Rigid Trays

Mesh for Small Pieces, Solid for Puree

The two jobs pull in opposite directions. GUCUJI states holes of about 1 by 1 mm, fine enough to hold blueberries and raspberries while still letting air through from above and below. That is a mesh answer to a mesh problem. The listing also says the sheets can be cut to any size, which is the only fit escape hatch in this group of five and the reason it suits an odd tray.

The Nesco SLD-2-6 goes the other way with a solid surface and what the listing calls an exclusive no spill lip, for sauces, soups and other liquids. It is also the only listing in this five that publishes a capacity at all: up to 3 cups of pureed fruit per sheet. That single number does more work for a buyer than any of the dimension fields on this page, and no other pick offers one.

Steel and Plastic Do Not Need a Tray Underneath

Silicone liners share a limitation the listings mention only in passing: they are soft, so they want a rigid tray beneath them. Several sheet listings elsewhere in the pool say so directly. The Baderke steel trays and the Nesco WT-2SG plastic trays are that rigid layer, which is why they read as heavier for what looks like less surface. They are structure, not lining.

The Cosori screen sits between the two ideas. It is rigid enough to be described as a screen and is sold as an accessory for a machine that already has trays, adding a finer surface on top of an existing rack. The listing says hand wash only and not dishwasher safe, which is the only explicit dishwasher warning among these five and worth knowing before a batch of sticky fruit.

Which One Fits Your Kitchen

A Nesco round dehydrator and small fruit. GUCUJI, 0.32 lb for five silicone mesh sheets of 12.6 inch diameter, 0.8 mm thick with holes of about 1 by 1 mm, rated -40 F to 428 F, cut to any size, and named for the FD-61 and FD-75A among others.

Purees, sauces and fruit leather. Nesco SLD-2-6, 0.3 lb for two solid 13.75 inch fruit roll sheets with a no spill lip, food grade plastic, hand wash only, and the only pick here that publishes a capacity at up to 3 cups of puree per sheet.

A square Cosori and finely sliced herbs. Cosori, 0.8 lb for two BPA free mesh screens the maker states as 15 x 15 inches, for any machine with a larger tray, hand wash only and not dishwasher safe. It names no material and no mesh size.

More rack space in an older Nesco. Nesco WT-2SG, 1.0 lb for a set of two speckled food grade plastic Add-A-Trays for the 20 Series and 30 Series, made in the USA, and stated compatible with 13 1/2 inch diameter trays.

A CP267-FD owner who wants to scrub. Baderke, 1.51 lb for four trays of 304 solid stainless steel at about 12 by 13 inches, the heaviest pack figure here, and stated compatible with that one dehydrator model and no other.

What We Could Not Verify

Every figure above comes from the maker’s own listing text. These are the things we went looking for and could not source in any of them.

  • Not one of these five publishes the weight of a single sheet or tray, so every weight on this page is a pack figure and the per piece figure cannot be derived honestly.
  • The Cosori screen names no material at all, which on a part that sits in heat for a long drying run is the specification a buyer would most want to read.
  • Only GUCUJI publishes a thickness, at 0.8 mm, so how thin the other four surfaces are is unknown.
  • Only GUCUJI publishes a temperature range, at -40 F to 428 F, and the other four listings say nothing about heat at all.
  • Only the Nesco SLD-2-6 publishes a capacity, at up to 3 cups of puree per sheet, so what the other four hold is not stated.
  • Mesh hole size appears on one listing only, so whether the Cosori screen would hold sliced herbs or let them through cannot be compared.

Frequently asked questions

Why do these weights not tell you which tray is lighter?+

Because every figure covers the whole box. GUCUJI publishes 0.32 lb and says the pack holds five sheets. The Nesco SLD-2-6 publishes 0.3 lb and says the pack holds two. Those two numbers are almost the same and they describe very different amounts of material. None of these five listings publishes the weight of one sheet or one tray, so the figure a buyer actually wants is not on the page.

Which of these publishes how much food it holds?+

Only one. The Nesco SLD-2-6 states up to 3 cups of pureed fruit per sheet, which is the single capacity figure among these five picks. GUCUJI, Cosori, the Nesco WT-2SG and Baderke all publish a weight and a size and then stop. If you are drying purees and need to know what fits, that one line is the only sourced answer available here.

Is the Cosori screen really fifteen inches thick?+

No. The dimension fields read 15 x 15 x 15 inches, and the maker's own bullet says item dimensions are 15 x 15 inches, suitable for any dehydrator with a tray larger than that. The third number repeats the first, which is a placeholder rather than a measurement. This page used the bullet and reported the field trio as published without correcting it.

Do the Nesco WT-2SG dimensions make sense?+

Not as published. The fields read 4 x 2.5 x 14 inches, while the title calls it a 13 1/2 inch Add-A-Tray and the bullet repeats that it suits 13 1/2 inch diameter trays. A round tray of that diameter will not pass a 4 inch field, so one published number is narrower than the part it describes. The title and bullet agree, so this page followed those.

Does a silicone sheet need a tray underneath it?+

The listings imply it rather than state it. Silicone is soft, and several sheet listings elsewhere in this pool say directly that the mat should sit on a hard tray before use. GUCUJI does not say so. The Baderke stainless trays and the Nesco WT-2SG plastic trays are rigid parts and need nothing beneath them, which is a good part of why their published pack weights read higher.

Which of these will fit a dehydrator I already own?+

Read the compatibility line and treat it strictly. Baderke states the CP267-FD and that model only. Nesco WT-2SG names the 20 Series and 30 Series. GUCUJI lists the FD-61 and FD-75A among others and adds that the sheets can be cut to any size. Cosori says any square machine with a tray larger than its stated size. Measure your own rack before ordering any of them.

Specifications come from the manufacturers' own published listings. Lush Food & Drink may earn a commission if you buy through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. How we research.