Pork Yield Calculator
Work out how much pork a market hog will put in your freezer. Starting from the live weight at the scale, subtract the bone, head, and organs that stay with the processor — the hams, loins, chops, ribs, and ground pork are what you take home, typically around 65% of live weight.
Type in the animal's live weight and the amounts the processor removes — Bones, Organs, Head — auto-fill at typical shares for a pork. Adjust any of them for a closer estimate and the take-home weight updates as you type.
Your pork
What the processor removes (auto-filled, in lb)
Estimated take-home pork
Estimated weight
—lb
of live weight
Enter a live weight to see the math.
- Bones
- Organs
- Head
- Take-home
Estimates only — actual yield depends on cut style, fat and trim, moisture loss while aging, and what you ask the processor to keep. Confirm the expected weight with your processor before you send an animal.
What affects how much meat you take home
- Cut style. Boneless cuts mean more trimmed-out bone and less take-home weight; bone-in roasts and steaks weigh more.
- Trim and fat. A tight trim — or grinding the fat into burger — keeps more weight than cutting it all away.
- Shrink. Meat loses moisture while hanging and aging, which lowers the final weight.
- What you keep. Some people take the liver, heart, and other organs home instead of leaving them with the processor.
Find a USDA-inspected processing plant near you
Raising animals to sell shares? See custom-exempt processors who can process under your brand.
Pork yield questions
How much meat will I get from a market hog?
A 280 lb market hog with the defaults here — live weight minus 18% bone, 11% organs, and 6% head — estimates to about 182 lb of take-home pork. Cut style and how much fat you keep change the total.
Why is pork's take-home share a little higher than beef's?
Market hogs carry a higher share of meat and fat relative to bone, and much of the pork you take home — chops, roasts, and ribs — is cut with the bone in, so fewer pounds are trimmed away.
Do I get the fat back?
If you want leaf lard, back fat, or extra-trim ground pork, tell the processor. Keeping fat adds pounds to your take-home weight; a tight trim removes them, and you can adjust the bones and organs lines to match what you asked for.
Where can I get a hog processed?
Search the directory for USDA-inspected pork processors near you and ask about their cut sheet and expected yield before you book.