*All weight values listed on this page are used as example only. Actual hanging weight and take-home weight are specific to each animal and processor.

†Processing cost is set by our processor and subject to change

We sell by weight so here are some details to help you understand the examples above:

A live animal ready for harvest is around 1000 lbs. You may hear this weight described as their weight “on the hoof”. After slaughter and removal of the hide, head and organs, the carcass weight is approximately 60% of its live weight (1000 lbs live = 600 lb carcass). This carcass weight is called the “hanging weight” because the carcass is hung in a cooler for several days to age the meat prior to butchering and it’s convenient to measure the weight while hanging. Due to evaporation during the several day aging process after slaughter this hanging weight will be reduced by a few pounds before butchering, but the cost is still based on the pre-aging hanging weight.

For the examples above we assume a 1000 lb live animal that has a hanging weight of 600 lbs – therefore each half has a hanging weight of 300 lbs and each split half has a hanging weight of 150 lbs. After butchery, the take home weight of the packaged beef cuts and ground is approximately 65% of the hanging weight; this is due to the expected waste in the butchering process, including removal of bones. After butchering, in this example, you would receive approximately 100 lbs of meat for a split half of beef, 200 lbs of meat for a half beef and approximately 400 lbs of meat for a whole beef – directly from the processor packaged and boxed.