Estimate hanging weight and retail cut yield from live cattle weight.
Weight of the animal before slaughter.
Typical Beef: 58-64%. Dairy Steers: 55-60%.
Percentage of hanging weight that becomes take-home meat (trim loss). Typically 65-70%.
Estimated Yield Results
Live Weight:0 lbs
Loss (Hide, Head, Offal):-0 lbs
Hanging Weight (Carcass):0 lbs
Hanging Weight:0 lbs
Loss (Bones, Fat, Moisture):-0 lbs
Estimated Take-Home Meat:0 lbs
Live Weight (100%)
100%
Hanging Weight (Carcass)
62%
Retail Cuts (Freezer Meat)
41%
function calculateBeefYield() {
// 1. Get input values
var liveWeightInput = document.getElementById('liveWeight').value;
var dressingPctInput = document.getElementById('dressingPct').value;
var yieldPctInput = document.getElementById('yieldPct').value;
// 2. Validation
if (!liveWeightInput || liveWeightInput <= 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid live weight.");
return;
}
var liveWeight = parseFloat(liveWeightInput);
var dressingPct = parseFloat(dressingPctInput) || 62;
var yieldPct = parseFloat(yieldPctInput) || 67;
// 3. Calculation Logic
// Hanging weight = Live Weight * Dressing %
var hangingWeight = liveWeight * (dressingPct / 100);
// Retail weight = Hanging Weight * Yield %
// Note: Yield % is the percentage of the hanging weight that remains, NOT the percentage of live weight.
var retailWeight = hangingWeight * (yieldPct / 100);
// Calculate Losses
var liveLoss = liveWeight – hangingWeight; // Head, hide, blood, organs
var trimLoss = hangingWeight – retailWeight; // Bones, fat, evaporation
// Calculate Percentages relative to Live Weight for the bar chart
var hangingPctOfLive = dressingPct;
var retailPctOfLive = (retailWeight / liveWeight) * 100;
// 4. Update DOM
document.getElementById('displayLive').innerText = Math.round(liveWeight).toLocaleString() + " lbs";
document.getElementById('displayLiveLoss').innerText = "-" + Math.round(liveLoss).toLocaleString() + " lbs";
document.getElementById('displayHanging').innerText = Math.round(hangingWeight).toLocaleString() + " lbs";
document.getElementById('displayHangingRef').innerText = Math.round(hangingWeight).toLocaleString() + " lbs";
document.getElementById('displayTrimLoss').innerText = "-" + Math.round(trimLoss).toLocaleString() + " lbs";
document.getElementById('displayRetail').innerText = Math.round(retailWeight).toLocaleString() + " lbs";
// Update Charts
document.getElementById('barHanging').style.width = hangingPctOfLive + "%";
document.getElementById('barHanging').innerText = Math.round(hangingPctOfLive) + "%";
document.getElementById('barRetail').style.width = retailPctOfLive + "%";
document.getElementById('barRetail').innerText = Math.round(retailPctOfLive) + "% (of live)";
// Show Results
document.getElementById('results').style.display = 'block';
}
Understanding Beef Yields: From Live Weight to Freezer Meat
When purchasing a whole, half, or quarter cow directly from a farmer, one of the most confusing aspects for consumers is understanding how the weight of the live animal translates to the actual amount of meat that ends up in your freezer. This calculator helps estimate the "Live Weight vs Meat Weight" conversion using industry-standard averages.
Quick Rule of Thumb: On average, a beef steer will yield about 60-62% hanging weight from live weight, and about 65-70% take-home meat from that hanging weight.
1. Live Weight (The Hoof Weight)
This is the weight of the animal walking into the processing facility. For a typical grain-finished beef steer, this is often between 1,200 and 1,400 lbs. This weight includes everything: bones, blood, organs (viscera), hide, head, and hooves.
2. Hanging Weight (Hot Carcass Weight)
After the animal is slaughtered, the hide, head, hooves, and internal organs are removed. What remains is the "Hanging Weight."
Dressing Percentage: This is the percentage of the live animal that ends up as the carcass.
Average: 60% to 64% for beef breeds. Dairy steers typically dress lower (55-60%).
Factors: Gut fill (how much water/grass is in the stomach) significantly impacts this number. An animal that has just drunk water will have a higher live weight but the same hanging weight, lowering the dressing percentage.
3. Retail Cuts (Take-Home Weight)
The carcass is usually hung in a cooler for 10-21 days to age (tenderize). During this time, moisture evaporates (shrink). Afterward, the butcher removes excess fat and bones to create steaks, roasts, and ground beef.
Yield Percentage: This is the percentage of the hanging weight that remains after fabrication.
Average: 65% to 70%.
Bone-in vs. Boneless: Choosing boneless cuts will significantly reduce your total weight (because you aren't taking home heavy bones), but the amount of edible meat remains roughly the same. Choosing bone-in cuts increases your take-home weight but not necessarily the edible protein.
Why is my yield lower than expected?
Several factors can cause your final meat weight to be lower than the calculator estimates:
Excessive Fat: If the animal was overly fatty, much of that weight is trimmed away.
Aging Time: Longer dry-aging results in more moisture loss (shrinkage).
Bone-Out Processing: Requesting all boneless roasts and steaks reduces the poundage significantly compared to T-bones and bone-in ribeyes.
Breed: Dairy breeds and grass-fed cattle often have different bone-to-muscle ratios than grain-finished beef breeds.
Typical Breakdown of a 1,200 lb Steer
Using the averages in our calculator:
Live Weight: 1,200 lbs
Hanging Weight (62%): ~744 lbs
Take-Home Meat (67% of Hanging): ~500 lbs
This means roughly 40-42% of the live animal's weight ends up in your freezer.