Whole and Half beef explained

How Much Meat Is in a Whole/Half Cow?

The amount of meat you receive from a whole/half cow varies based on the animal’s size and how you choose to have it cut. Cattle are not identical, and all beef is custom processed to the customer’s specifications.

Expected Weights
Whole beef hanging weight: ~800–1,000 lbs
Half beef hanging weight: ~375–500 lbs

After processing:
Whole cow: ~600–850 lbs of packaged meat
Half cow: ~300–450 lbs of packaged meat

What’s Included in a Half Cow
A half cow provides a balanced mix of:
Steaks: Ribeye, Delmonico, New York strip, sirloin, filet, T-bone, Porterhouse (depending on cuts)
Approximately 20–35 steaks
Roasts: Chuck, arm, round, brisket (optional)
Approximately 10–15 roasts
Ground beef:
Typically 80–120+ lbs, depending on cut choices

Key Notes
Steak thickness and boneless vs. bone-in cuts affect final weight
More roasts or specialty cuts reduce ground beef
All quantities are estimates based on past customer selections

What Is Hanging Weight?
Hanging weight is the weight of the carcass after the animal is harvested and prepared for processing. At this stage, the hide, head, hooves, and internal organs have been removed. The remaining carcass is hung in a refrigerated room, where the butcher records the weight before aging and cutting.

Why Beef Is Priced by Hanging Weight
Hanging weight is the fairest and most consistent pricing method
for both the farmer and the customer.

Fair for the Farmer: Why Not Meat (Finished) Weight?
Finished meat weight varies greatly based on customer cut selections, including:
Bone-in vs. boneless cuts
Steak thickness
Roasts vs. ground beef
Because customers control these choices, pricing by meat weight would make the farmer’s income unpredictable. Farmers raise cattle to specific target live and hanging weights, which allows for consistent planning and pricing.

Fair for the Customer: Why Not Live Weight?
Live weight is the animal’s weight before harvest, either on the farm or upon arrival at the processor. Pricing by live weight would require the customer to pay for parts that are never processed into meat.

Additional variables with live weight:
Feed and water intake (cattle can eat up to 30 lbs at one time)
Weight loss during transport
Body type and frame size (taller cattle produce more non-meat weight)

Hanging Weight and the Beef Farmer
Beef farmers manage for live weight, hanging weight, and final meat yield. When cattle are raised with proper genetics, nutrition, and care, farmers can reliably predict how an animal will hang and how much meat it will yield.

Healthy, well-managed cattle:
Grow efficiently
Produce more usable meat
Yield tender, well-marbled beef


This consistency benefits both the farmer and the customer.