With an average market (live or on hoof) weight of 1,150 lbs and the average yield of 62.2%, the typical steer will produce a 715 lb. (dressed weight) carcass.

The dressed beef (or carcass) will yield approximately 569 lbs. (further details below) of red meat and trim (take home meat - which includes the average weight of 27 lbs of variety meat: liver, heart, tongue, tripe, sweetbreads and brains) and 146 lbs of fat, bone and loss.  This is roughly a yield of 80% from the dressed or hanging weight - this is for a VERY LEAN Beef.  A High Quality, USDA Choice Beef will yield approximately 70% of the Hanging or Dressed Weight.  The yield on the take home meat weight from the live weight of the (VERY LEAN) steer is approximately 50%.

Click here to see the complete breakdown on the weight, percentage and types of cuts available on a VERY LEAN Beef.

Beef Steak Different Names

• Beef Processing

• Beef Recipes

• Interactive Beef Hind Qt Cuts Chart (Cuts of Beef)

• Cattle Breeds - History of the 59 Major Breeds,
  Traits and Photographs.

• Kobe Beef - What is it and
  why can it cost over $200.00 per pound!?

•  Beef Tips

• More Beef Tips

• Beef Nutritional Value 

• More Info On Beef Nutritional Value 

• How To Estimate Weight of Live Beef 

• Cooking Times 

• BSE  Mad Cow Disease 

• Variety Meats - Liver, Tongue, 
  Sweetbread 

• Shake-On Seasonings from Witts

• Beef Chart Poster

• 3 Easy Steps To Grilling Beef

• Interactive Beef  Front Qt Cuts Chart (Cuts of Beef)

• Photographic Guide to the Doneness of Beef Steaks

• How to Make Beef and Deer Jerky Safely
  According to the FSIS.

• FAQ Beef

• Dry Aged Beef 

• Measurement Conversion Calculator 

• Notebook Size Meat Charts

• Keep It Safe 

•  Marinades 

• Skeletal Chart 

• How To Cook Beef Steaks

• Beef Links 

• "PERFECT"  Grilling 

• Information On Beef 

• Interesting Beef Facts 

•  Beef FAQ's

• Filet Mignon Recipes

• 101 Hamburger Recipes and Tips

• Beef Jerky Seasonings

• Beef Marinade Recipes

• E-Coli Facts 

• Beef Steaks Different Names

• More Beef Cuts Names

• What Are The Different Beef Quality Grades

• USDA Beef Quality Grades

• Yield On A Beef Carcass

• Beef By-Products

• Low Carbs and Beef

• Low Carb Beef Recipes

• How To Save On Purchasing Filet Mignon

• Tri Tip

• London Broil

• Eye of Round Roast

• Beef Brisket Tips

• What is the Difference Between Dry Aged and Wet Aged Beef?

• Almost EVERYTHING You Need
  to Know About Dry Aged Beef!

• Is it Possible to Dry Age Beef at Home?

• BBQ Tips

• 3 Easy Steps To Grilling Beef

• BBQ Links

• Perfect Grilling

• Plan the Perfect BBQ

• New Beef Chart Poster

Don't forget to order your Notebook Size Meat Cutting Charts (pictured below)
to use as a handy reference guide to ALL the beef cuts available!

 These charts are extremely useful if you cut your own beef or just want to know what options you have
at the Butcher Shop or Grocery Store Meat Department!

Purchase A Set of 5 Notebook Size Meat Charts
 For ONLY $7.00 by Clicking the "Add To Cart" Button Below. Shipped FREE in the U.S.!

We Offer A 100% Money Back Guarantee on EVERYTHING We Sell!

Ask The Meatman's Own
"How To Process Beef" DVD!! Click here for more information.

2 Hours of Learning How To:

• Make The Primal Beef Cuts

• Make Sub-Primal Beef Cuts

• Make Retail Beef Cuts

• Freezer Wrap Beef Correctly

• Sharpen Your Knife Correctly

• Use A Steel Correctly

Here is a further detailed breakdown of the 569 lbs. of take home meat.

Chuck - 209.5 lbs total, which is 29% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:

Round - 155.8 lbs. total, which is 22% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:

Thin Cuts - 134.6 lbs. total, which is 19% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:

Short Loin - 115.7 lbs. total, which is 16% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:

 Rib - 66.6 lbs. total, which is 9% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:

Miscellaneous - 32.7 lbs. total, which is 5% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:

 Raising a Calf for Beef

 This no-nonsense how-to guide for beginners offers detailed information on choosing a calf, building and maintaining housing, nutrition, feeding, and daily care. Readers will also find instructions for slaughtering and butchering
A freezer full of fine beef at half meet market costs (and much less than that if you raise the hay and grain too)? That's just one of the many rewards of raising your own beef calf!

Just click the "Raising A Calf for Beef" Link above or click on the Book Cover to read more about this book and to place your order for the book from Amazon.com.

We have a FREE PDF article on Beef Grades.  To view it, just click here.

If you would rather download the FREE PDF Beef Grades article and save it to your computer, just right click here., and choose "Save Target As"

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file.
If don't have it already on your computer,
you can download from the Adobe website by clicking here.

These figures are all averages. The weights vary according to cutting method and type of cattle.

You can see photographs of hind and front quarters of beef and the cuts made out of them on the following page:

Beef Hind Quarters

Beef Front Quarter

We also have Poster Size Beef Cutting Charts available for sale.

(COMPLETE) Cost Estimate of Beef by the Side

"Hanging weight" is the weight of a side of beef as it hangs on the rail in a meat cooler. The locker operator purchased the side from a meat packer on a hanging weight basis and also sells it to the consumer that way.

Some sides of beef are fatter than other sides of beef. Because excess fat is removed during cutting, carcass fatness will affect how much take-home meat a side of beef will yield.

YIELD FROM A VERY LEAN, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE

Fat & bone (waste) 15%

Usable meat cuts
225 lb. take-home meat 85%

YIELD FROM AN AVERAGE, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE

Fat & bone (waste) 30%

Usable meat cuts
210 lb. take-home meat 70%

YIELD FROM A VERY FAT, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE

Fat & bone (waste) 45%

Usable meat cuts
165 lb. take-home meat 55%

The above illustrations are for USDA Choice sides and are most commonly available from Yield Grades 2, 3, and 4. The highest quality grade of Prime is most commonly available from Yield Grades 3, 4, and 5. The lower quality of Select is most commonly available from Yield Grades 1, 2, and 3. Standard, lower in quality than Good, is most commonly available from Yield Grades 1 and 2.

All beef sold hanging weight will lose some of its weight in the cutting and trimming process no matter how lean the side of beef is. The amount of fat and bone that must be trimmed (cutting loss) from a side thus has an influence on the price per pound of meat that is finally wrapped and frozen for you.

Ask your locker operator to explain to you how to figure the approximate price per pound of meat you will take home. Remember, this is only an approximation and will vary with how you want your beef trimmed and boned.

The amounts below are for a side of beef.