Three weights, three numbers
- Live weight
- The animal on the scale
- Hanging weight
- Carcass after slaughter
- Take-home
- Packaged, trimmed cuts
Hanging weight (hot carcass weight) is what’s left after the hide, head, feet and organs are removed. Most processors, including Creek Ranch, price by it because it is measured the same way for every animal.
Live weight to hanging weight
That ratio is the dressing percentage. Extension sources put fed, grain-finished steers at about 62–64%; the University of Kentucky gives 60–63% for grain-fed and 56–58% for grass-fed cattle. Fill, muscling, fat and hide all move it.
Hanging weight to take-home
The carcass loses 2–5% while chilling, and more if it is dry aged (about 3–5% over 7–21 days, per South Dakota State). Then bone and fat are trimmed. The University of Wisconsin puts take-home at about 71% of the chilled carcass for bone-in, regularly trimmed cuts and 62% for boneless, closely trimmed cuts.
Worked example: a 1,200 lb steer
| Step | Weight |
|---|---|
| Live weight | 1,200 lb |
| Hanging weight at 62% | 744 lb |
| After 3.5% chill shrink | 718 lb |
| Take-home at 67% (mix of bone-in and boneless) | about 481 lb |
Example from University of Wisconsin Extension. South Dakota State gives a similar result: a carcass of about 750 lb yields about 490 lb of boneless trimmed beef, about 150 lb of fat trim and about 110 lb of bone.
What that costs at Creek Ranch
At 744 lb hanging weight, the base processing is $75 + 744 × $0.75 = $633, plus boxes and the E. coli test. Steaks, ground beef and patties are extra per pound. Run your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Goats and lambs
Goats dress at about 45–50% of live weight and lambs at about 50–54%. A 130 lb lamb gives a carcass of about 70 lb and roughly 48 lb of bone-in cuts (University of Wisconsin). Goat carcasses can lose up to 10% in the first 24 hours of chilling.
Getting more meat from your animal
- Choose bone-in cuts where you can: bone-in yields more pounds than boneless.
- Ask for roasts and stew meat instead of grinding everything.
- Keep soup bones, oxtail and organs if you will use them.
- Finish cattle well. Better-muscled animals dress higher.
Sources
- South Dakota State University Extension, How much meat can you expect from a fed steer? and How much weight do beef carcasses lose while aging?
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Beef animal yield and How much meat should a lamb yield?
- University of Kentucky, ASC-179