Resources / Beef / Red meat yield
Beef · Growth & feed · Carcass

Red meat yield

55% dressing · 68% SMY

A two-tier processing measure: dressing percentage (carcass weight as a share of liveweight) and Saleable Meat Yield (bone-out, fat-trimmed retail cuts as a share of carcass).

Worked example · Live → carcass → retail cuts
100% 55% 68% 615kg live 338kg HSCW 230kg retail
Live → carcass → retail cuts
The benchmark

Grass-finished steers dress 50–56% of liveweight, and saleable meat yield runs 63–72% of the carcass.

MLA More Beef from Pastures ↗
What it signals

A beast can dress out well on heavy bone or fat yet return poor saleable yield after trimming. Watching both tiers guides finishing times, nutrition and the genetics that maximise high-value retail cuts.

Data required to calculate
Sale liveweightkgLWHot Standard Carcass WeightkgTrimmed retail cutskg

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Target optimal fat specification on pasture to avoid over-finishing.

02

Cut transit time and handle stock quietly to prevent dark cutting.

03

Select bulls with high ribeye area and positive dressing-out EBVs.

Questions & answers

What is red meat yield?

A two-tier processing measure: dressing percentage (carcass weight as a share of liveweight) and Saleable Meat Yield (bone-out, fat-trimmed retail cuts as a share of carcass).

What data do you need to calculate red meat yield?

You need: Sale liveweight (kgLW), Hot Standard Carcass Weight (kg), Trimmed retail cuts (kg). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good red meat yield benchmark?

Grass-finished steers dress 50–56% of liveweight, and saleable meat yield runs 63–72% of the carcass.

How do you improve red meat yield?

Target optimal fat specification on pasture to avoid over-finishing. Cut transit time and handle stock quietly to prevent dark cutting. Select bulls with high ribeye area and positive dressing-out EBVs.

More beef guides

All beef KPIs →

See this KPI live for your own operation.

Connect the software, spreadsheets and records you already keep, and Silo keeps every benchmark on this page current automatically.

Book a demo