Buying Beef: Beef Hanging Weight vs Packaged Weight

Skipping the grocery store and buying beef directly from a farm can be a great way to save money and get high quality beef. But, buyers need to know and understand terms like beef hanging weight vs packaged weight so that they know exactly how much meat they’re getting. In this guide, we’ll explain all the terms to know, how to calculate how much beef and the price per pound so you know your savings, and questions to ask the farmer and butcher in advance.

Purchasing beef directly from a local farm can be a great way to save money and stock up on quality beef. However, many consumers are unfamiliar with how beef is priced and how much meat they will receive. Terms like “live animal weight”, “on the hoof”, “hanging weight,” “on the rail”, “boxed weight”, and “packaged weight” can be confusing and lead to misunderstandings.

In this guide, we’ll explain the difference in these terms. We’ll also share examples on how these numbers are calculated so you estimate how many pounds of meat you can expect to receive when purchasing a beef share or freezer beef. We’ll also include a list of essential questions to ask your butcher or beef processor before purchasing.

Buying Beef From a Farm:

When you purchase beef directly from a farmer, beef can be priced in a variety of ways. The two most common methods are to sell beef with “all-inclusive” pricing or sell by “hanging weight”. Here’s a little more about each method: 

All-inclusive:  When farmers choose to price their quarter of beef as “all-inclusive”, they will quote the customer a specific price that includes all butchering and delivery fees. As a very rough comparison, this method is somewhat like purchasing individual cuts at a grocery store because you know what you’re getting and the price. With “all-inclusive” pricing, the farmer will tell you how many pounds of beef and what cuts you’ll receive in advance (within a few pounds, because all beef animals are slightly different), and you’ll know the exact price for those cuts.  

Hanging Weight: The industry standard is to sell whole, half, and quarter beef by hanging weight. Although this is the most common method that farmers use, we think it’s extremely confusing for customers. With this method, customers must learn a new lingo (hanging weight vs. boxed weight vs. live weight), and how to calculate quantities so that they know how much beef they’re putting in their freezer. First time buyers who don’t understand the weight measures often find themselves surprised that the weight of the meat they bring home (boxed weight) is much lower than the weight of the carcass when it’s hanging in the meat locker (hanging weight). 

​Understanding Terms:

Because selling beef by hanging weight is the most common method, we will go into detail about terms like beef hanging weight vs packaged weight vs live weight.

• Live weight (or “on the hoof”) is how much a cow weighs when it’s alive. This includes meat, bones, blood, etc.

• Hot carcass weight is the weight of the animal immediately after slaughter, but before it undergoes any further processing like aging, cutting, or trimming. This term can be used interchangeably with hanging weight.

• Hanging weight (or “on the rail” or “hanging carcass weight”) is the weight of the beef after the animal has been slaughtered and dressed. The hide, head, hooves, blood, and most internal organs have been removed. The remaining carcass is hung in a cooler for the dry aging process, typically for 10–21 days. During this time, the carcass looses some moisture, which will result in a weight loss of about 2%. The hanging weight typically represents about 60% of the live weight of the animal. The hanging weight is not the amount of beef the buyer will put in their freezer.

• Packaged weight (or “boxed weight” or “take home weight”) is the actual weight of the meat a buyer will put in their home freezer. The package weight means all the fat and bones are removed based on your cutting instructions (i.e. boneless steaks vs. bone-in steaks), and the beef is cut, ground, wrapped and frozen. The packaged weight is usually 60-65% of the hanging weight. The loss from the hanging weight usually comes from water loss (from dry aging) and bone loss (from butchering). The more boneless cuts the customer requests, the less the packaged weight will be. It’s important to point out that lower weight doesn’t mean less meat, but less bones.

What Beef Hanging Weight vs Packaged Weight Really Means (Real World Example and Calculations)

Now, here’s an example so these terms start to make more sense. 

If a steer has a live weight of 1,200 pounds, its hanging weight will be approximately 720 pounds (60% of 1,200). Since the hanging weight is 720 pounds, that means the packaged weight that you take home and put in the freezer is 432-468 pounds of beef (60-65% of the 720 lb. hanging weight). 

For a 1,200-pound animal with a carcass weight of 720 pounds, it’s not uncommon for the buyer to say, “but I only got about 440 lbs. of meat — where is the rest of the meat?” This is why it’s so important to understand terms like beef hanging weight vs packaged weight. The hanging weight includes the bone and excess fat that will not be packed and wrapped for home consumption. The hanging weight (or hot carcass weight) is not the amount of meat that the buyer will put in the freezer.

Butcher’s Pricing

When purchasing beef by hanging weight, it’s important for buyers to know that they will typically write two checks — one to the farmer and one to the butcher.  This means that buyers need to ask both entities about any fees.  

For example, many butchers charge a variable “dressing” fee, which is based on the size of the cow. That doesn’t include any additional processing costs and wrap fees or taxes your butcher may charge.

Additionally, they may offer different sets of pricing for processing based on if the meat is inspected or not.  When meat is USDA inspected or state inspected, it is more expensive per pound of hanging weight because the butcher must have an inspector present during processing. When meat is “custom cut”, it means it is for a family’s personal consumption and not intended to sell This type of processing is often less expensive because the butcher doesn’t have to have an inspector present during processing. More on beef inspection here.

​Cost Breakdown: What Are You Really Paying?

Let’s assume you are purchasing a whole beef and with the following costs. If you’re purchasing a half beef or quarter cow, please divide these numbers appropriately. 

• Farmer charges $5.00 per pound hanging weight
• Meat processor / butcher fee is $1.00 per pound of hanging weight
• The hanging weight of a whole beef is 720 pounds 

Total Cost Calculation:

• Cost for the beef: 720 lbs. × $5.00 = $3,600 (this is the amount you pay the farmer)
• Processing fee: 720 lbs. × $1.00 = $720 (this is the amount you pay the butcher shop)
• Total cost: $4,320

Now, let’s calculate the cost per pound of take-home beef:

• Packaged weight (65% yield): 720 × 65% = 468 pounds
• Total cost: $4,320
• Cost per pound of take-home meat: $4,320 ÷ 468 = $9.23 per pound of beef.  

At $9.23 per pound of finished beef, you’re getting steaks, roasts, and ground beef—often much cheaper than buying retail cuts individually. For a high-end steak and roast, this is a great deal. For ground beef, you may be saying you could find it cheaper at the grocery store on sale, but it would not be the same quality as farm-fresh beef. 

What Beef Cuts Come with a Whole Beef?

When you buy a whole cow, you get approximately 440 pounds of beef. Of this, approximately 200 pounds is ground beef, and the other 220 pounds will be cut into individual portion cuts like steaks, roasts, ribs, brisket, tenderloin, etc. Here’s an example of the cuts you will receive:

• Steaks like filet, sirloin, ribeye, NY strip, skirt and flank
• Brisket
• Roasts like chuck roast, sirloin roast, arm roast
• Ground beef
• Ribs
• Stew meat
• Kabob meat
• Soup bones
• Organ meats (if desired)
• And the list keeps going on and on!

Cut List Recommendations

When working directly with a butcher, beef can be cut in a variety of ways. We’ve had some past customers have all meat ground into ground beef, including steaks! We don’t recommend this, but it’s up to you when you purchase a whole beef. Here are some basic recomendations. 

• Steaks: Filet mignon, Sirloin Steak, Ribeye Steak, Strip Steak, Skirt Steaks and Flank Steak. We like cutting steaks into 3/4-1-inch thickness.  If you prefer a larger, thick steaks and your beef processor allows it, keep in mind you’ll be getting fewer steaks. For example, if you order a quarter beef, you would usually get approximately 6-7 sirloin steaks if they’re 3/4 -1-inch thick. If you have them cut to 1 ½ -2 inches thick, you may only get 3-4 steaks. It’s the same weight of beef, but how you have it cut makes a big difference on the quantity of steaks. 
• Roasts: Arm Roasts, Chuck Roasts, Round Roasts, Rump Roasts cut into 3-4 pound roasts.
• Ground Beef: Packaged in 1-pound packages
• Short Ribs: You could have this ground into hamburger, but we don’t recommend it. Short ribs are awesome.
• Stew Meat and/or Kabob Meat: These cuts are typically the trimmings from the steaks. 
• Brisket: You could have this ground into ground beef, but please don’t. Brisket is so good and there are lots of ways to cook brisket. 
• Soup Bones: We love soup bones. They make the best bone broth. We highly recommend them. 
• Organ meats: This is up to you, but we recommend it, especially liver. 

How Much Freezer Space is Needed?

The general rule of thumb is 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 30-35 lbs. of cut and wrapped meat. This means a quarter cow can fit in a small chest type freezer, and whole beef orders will need a large chest type freezer. 

On average, a quarter cow is approximately 110 pounds of meat, and we recommend 5 cubic feet of freezer space. A half cow is approximately 220 pounds of meat, and we recommend an 8 cubic foot freezer. A whole cow is approximately 440 pounds of farm-fresh beef.

What Questions Should You Ask Before Buying Beef?

To ensure you understand your purchase, ask your farmer and butcher these important questions:

Questions for the Farmer

1. What breed of cattle do you raise? (Some beef breeds, like Angus, have better marbling)
2. How is the beef raised? (Grass fed beef vs. grain fed beef will impact flavor and price)
3. What is the expected “take-home weight” or “boxed weight” for a quarter, half, and whole beef? (This will help you estimate your final cost)
4. What is your price per pound of hanging weight vs boxed weight? (This will help you estimate your final cost)
5. Do you require a deposit, and how does payment work? (Many farms require an upfront deposit and/or full payment in advance)
6. When will the beef be ready? (availability depends on the farm’s schedule and beef processing schedule)
7. Where is the beef processed? (Will the beef be processed locally? is the facility USDA inspected?)
8. Where do your cows come from? How do you raise your beef? Are they born and raised on your farm? (This question helps ensure you’re working with a farmer who raises quality beef)

Questions for the Butcher/Processor

1. How long do you age the beef? ( Dry aging 10-21 days enhances the flavor and tenderness of the beef)
2. What cuts can I choose from? (Understand your options for steaks, roasts, ground beef, etc)
3. Can I request bone-in or boneless cuts? (This will affect the packaged weight, and how you cook each cut)
4. What packaging options are available? (Vacuum-sealed vs. butcher paper impacts cost and also freezer life. Vacuum sealed is prefered for longer freezer life)
5. Do you provide organ meats or soup bones? (Some processors offer these at a reduced cost).
6. Can I customize the fat content of my ground beef (Some butchers allow leaner or fattier blends)

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Helpful Posts About Buying Farm-Fresh Beef:

• Buying a half or whole cow. How much beef is it?
• Understanding cuts of beef: Guide to quarter beef, whole beef
• How to buy a cow from a farmer
• Questions to ask before buying a side of beef
• 5 tips after buying a cow (and before you bring the beef home)
• What everyone ought to know about beef cuts
• Prime, Choice or Select? Meat grades explained
• What do cattle eat? How grass provides nutrition for cows
• How to thaw beef? 4 best ways to defrost meat safe and fast

KITCHEN PRODUCTS WE LOVE Cooking Beef

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Roasting Pan
• Meat Thermometer

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