Well-fed steers from most beef breeds yield a dressed carcass weighing
approximately 60 percent of the animal’s live weight. For example, a
1,000-pound live steer yields a 600-pound carcass. Yields will vary
according to the feeding ration and the length of time on feed.
Cutting losses from the carcass, such as bone or fat trim, vary from
20 to 30 percent or more. With a 25-percent cutting loss, which is not
unusual, a 600-pound carcass would yield approximately 450 pounds of
usable meat cuts. A good rule of thumb for carcass beef is 25 percent
waste, 25 percent ground beef and stew meat, 25 percent steaks, and 25
percent roasts. Thus a 1,000-pound steer will, on the average, yield
about 450 pounds of usable meat cuts. This figure can easily be as
high as 550 pounds for an animal with very little waste fat to as low
as 300 pounds for an animal with excessive waste fat.