by Randy Saner, Nebraska Extension; and Brianna Buseman, formerly of Nebraska Extension

Consumers who buy a live animal from a local cattle producer or 4-H member for custom processing are often surprised by the amount of beef they receive, the amount of freezer space needed and that they did not get back the entire live weight of the animal in retail cuts. This article will discuss how to estimate how much meat you will receive when purchasing an animal to harvest.

Dressing percentage is an important term to remember as it represents the portion of the live animal weight that transfers to the hot carcass weight.

Dressing percentage is calculated as (hot carcass weight ÷ live weight) x 100.

The hot carcass weight (HCW) is the weight of the unchilled carcass in pounds after the head, hide and internal organs have been removed. For most fed cattle, the HCW will be approximately 60%-64% of live-animal harvest weight. For example, a 1,400-pound (lb.) animal with an HCW of 880 lb. has a dressing percentage of approximately 63%, which is calculated as (880 ÷ 1,400) x 100 = 63%.

It is not uncommon for the buyer of a live animal to question, “The dressing percentage of my 1,400-pound steer was 63%, but I only got 550 pounds of meat. Where is the rest of my meat?” The calculation of dressing percentage is based on HCW. The HCW includes bones, excess fat and moisture loss that will not be packed and wrapped for home consumption. The HCW is not the actual amount of meat that the consumer will put in his or her freezer.

Many factors can affect the dressing percentage. Anything that adds weight to the live animal but does not appear on the carcass will lower the dressing percentage. Factors that might add to the live animal weight but not be included in the HCW include:

• hide
• horns
• pregnancy
• mud and/or manure on the hide
• gut fill

All beef animals are not created equal. Therefore, the dressing percentage is not consistent from one animal to another. Some of the primary factors that influence the dressing percentage include breed of the animal (dairy vs. beef), live weight and how it was finished (grain-fed or grass-fed). Table 1 shows the relative dressing percentage for various types of beef animals and background conditions.

A beef carcass is composed of 70%-75% water. As it chills, water evaporation will cause the carcass weight to decrease. It is not uncommon for a chilled carcass to weigh 2%-5% less than the hot carcass. That means our example 880-lb. carcass could lose nearly 40 lb. during chilling solely due to water loss by evaporation.

After a carcass is cooled, it will be further processed into the retail cuts you bring home. The carcass is split in half, and further separated into “primal” (or wholesale) cuts. This process is referred to as “breaking down the carcass,” or “fabrication.” Beef primal cuts in the front quarter include the rib, chuck, shank, brisket and plate. The hind quarter is composed of the flank, round and loin (short loin and sirloin). Table 2 shows the typical weights and percent of a carcass of various primals from an 880-lb. carcass.

Wholesale or primal meat cuts will be further processed into subprimals or retail cuts. The basic concept of fabricating beef retail cuts is to separate tender muscles from less tender muscles, thick muscles from thin muscles and fat from lean portions. What remains when bone and fat are removed is referred to as yield, or the percent of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts. For example, according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association publication entitled Beef Cut: Primal and Subprimal Weights and Yields, the round typically makes up 22% of the HCW. For an 880-lb. carcass, the round would be approximately 194 lb. About 20% of that weight is made up of fat and bone. This leaves approximately 155 lb. of meat — including steaks, roasts and ground product — that will be packaged for consumption.

Factors that affect yield of retail cuts include:

• Carcass fat — External carcass fat, or backfat, has the greatest effect on the percent of retail product from a carcass. As more fat is trimmed away from the retail cuts, less weight will be included in the final packaged product; thus, a lower percentage of retail cuts.
• Carcass muscularity — Superior carcass muscling can increase the yield of a carcass. Dairy-type animals with lower lean-to-bone ratios typically yield lower than beef-type animals.
• Cutting style or cutting directions — Instructions given to the processor can affect carcass yield. For instance, the amount of bone-in vs. boneless cuts, trimming of retail cuts and the percent of fat of the ground beef will affect retail yield.
• Aging — The two major advantages of aging meat are improvement in tenderness and enhancement of a “beefy” flavor. A typical aging period of seven to 14 days allows for tenderness development. Long-term aging also can have a negative effect on carcass yield, as it results in more weight loss from the carcass due to further moisture loss.