About the Food Yield Percentage Calculator
This food yield percentage calculator turns a simple yield test into the numbers a kitchen needs for costing. Enter the as-purchased (AP) weight and price of a product and either the usable edible-portion (EP) weight or the trim lost, and it returns the yield percentage, the true cost per usable pound or kilogram, and the cost of each portion.
Chefs, kitchen managers and caterers use yield tests for meat, fish and produce because the invoice price per pound understates the real cost once bones, skin, fat, peels and cores are removed. The tool also tells you how many portions the tested batch produces and how much product to buy for a target number of portions.
Choose pounds with portions in ounces, or kilograms with portions in grams. The calculation assumes trim has no resale or stock value; if you use bones for stock or sell trim, your effective cost will be slightly lower than shown.
With the default inputs, the yield percentage is 72%. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the food yield percentage calculator
- 1Weigh the product as received and enter the AP weight and price per unit.
- 2Trim, bone or peel it, then enter the usable weight or the weight of trim removed.
- 3Enter your portion size and how many portions you need.
- 4Read the yield %, true cost per usable unit and cost per portion.
- 5Use the AP weight to buy when you write your next order.
Formula and method
Yield percentage is the usable edible-portion weight divided by the as-purchased weight. If you enter trim instead, the usable weight is AP weight minus trim. Because you pay for every pound you receive but only serve the usable part, the true cost per usable unit is the AP price divided by the yield as a decimal.
Portion cost multiplies the EP cost by the portion size (converted with 16 oz per lb or 1,000 g per kg). To plan purchasing, the edible weight needed for your portions is divided by the yield to find how much to order as purchased. Trim is assumed to have no value.
- AP
- As-purchased weight (as received from the supplier)
- EP
- Edible-portion (usable) weight after trimming and cooking loss you measure
- Yield
- EP ÷ AP as a decimal
Worked examples
10 lb of product trimmed to 7.2 lb
7.2 ÷ 10 = 72% yield, so the $4.99/lb invoice price becomes $4.99 ÷ 0.72 = $6.93 per usable pound. A 6 oz portion costs $6.93 × 6 ÷ 16 ≈ $2.60, and 50 portions need 18.75 lb usable, or about 26.04 lb as purchased.
Whole salmon in kilograms, trim entered
Removing 1.9 kg of head, bones and skin from a 5 kg fish leaves 3.1 kg, a 62% yield. At $14/kg AP the usable fillet costs $22.58/kg, so a 150 g portion costs about $3.39. Forty portions need 6 kg usable, or about 9.68 kg whole fish.
Beef tenderloin trimmed for 8 oz steaks
A 6 lb tenderloin yields 4.2 lb of steak meat (70%). The real cost is $18.99 ÷ 0.70 = $27.13/lb, so each 8 oz steak costs about $13.56. Thirty steaks require 15 lb trimmed, or roughly 21.4 lb as purchased.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate yield percentage?+
Divide the usable (edible portion) weight by the as-purchased weight and multiply by 100. For example, 7.2 lb usable from 10 lb purchased is a 72% yield.
What is the difference between AP and EP?+
AP (as purchased) is the product as delivered and invoiced. EP (edible portion) is what remains after trimming, boning, peeling or other losses — the part you can actually serve.
Why is my edible-portion cost higher than the invoice price?+
You pay for the whole weight delivered, including parts you discard. Dividing the AP price by the yield spreads that cost over the usable weight only.
Should I include cooking loss in a yield test?+
If you portion after cooking, yes — weigh the cooked product so the yield reflects both trim and cooking shrink. If you portion raw, measure raw usable weight and track cooking loss separately.
How often should I repeat yield tests?+
Repeat them when you change suppliers, cuts or grades, when prices move noticeably, or when food cost drifts. Averaging several tests gives a more reliable yield than a single one.