How do you calculate cut yield?

Divide the finished saleable weight by the starting weight. 490 lb of finished cuts from 750 lb of raw material is 490 / 750 = 65.3%, a third of a point above a 65% target, the Cut Yield calculator's own example. Below target, the workbook also shows the weight short: target yield x starting weight - finished weight.

What is the cost per saleable pound?

The purchase cost of the starting weight, less what the usable trim earns, divided by the finished weight. With 250 lb bought at 4.00 a pound, 20 lb of trim worth 1.50 a pound and 165 lb of finished cuts: (1,000 - 30) / 165 = 5.88 per saleable pound.

Why combine tests by weight and not average the yields?

Because a 250 lb test and a 50 lb test should not count the same. The workbook adds the finished and starting weights of every test and divides the totals, so the product, week and overall yields are the yields of all the meat cut.

What target yield should I use?

Your own, from past tests or your supplier specification, one per product and specification (bone-in or boneless, trim level, skin on or off). The workbook assumes no industry figure; the example targets are invented. Near target means within 2% below the target: 68.6% to 70% against a 70% target.

What counts as usable trim?

Trim you sell or use, such as lean trim for grinding or bones for stock, at what it earns. Fat, bone and purge you throw away are loss: the workbook shows them as weight lost, starting minus finished minus usable trim.

Yes. Choose kg on Setup and type every weight in kilograms and every price per kilo. Yield is a ratio, so nothing is converted.

Industry Cost Kits

Meat Cut Yield Test Excel Template

Cut yield = finished saleable weight ÷ starting weight. Log every cutting test of a carcass, primal or raw lot and see its yield against the product's target, the weight lost, and the cost of every saleable pound or kilo after the trim credit, by product and by week.

Free, and a plain .xlsx with no macros to enable. A CSV with live formulas and a printed how-to guide come with it.

Overview

This meat cut yield test template is a working Excel workbook for plant managers, production and quality supervisors, cost accountants and buyers at meat, poultry and seafood processors and butcher shops. Every cutting test is one row with its starting weight, finished saleable weight and usable trim; the workbook gives the cut yield against the product's target and the cost of every saleable unit after the trim credit. It ships with eight weeks of tests on five products of a fictional processor, so every tile and chart is filled in when you open it.

In the example 32 tests cut 4,678 lb at a 77.9% yield against a weighted target of 77.8%, and the saleable product costs 3.85 a pound after trim. Pork loin averages 69.4% against its 70% target: in weeks five and six a new cutter in training yields 66.4% and 66.7%, the two tests below target, while every other product is on or near target.

Each point of yield matters because you buy the starting weight and sell the finished weight: at 2.35 a pound, a pork loin that yields 70% costs 3.36 per saleable pound and one that yields 66.4% costs 3.54. The download is a plain .xlsx with no macros. A CSV with live formulas is also included for other tools; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx.

What this template includes

Tests table, one row per cutting test: date, product, lot or supplier, cutter, starting weight, finished saleable weight and usable trim, with a Check column
Per test: cut yield, gap to target in points and a status in words, weight short of target, weight lost, purchase cost, trim credit and cost per saleable pound or kilo
Setup list of products with each one's target yield, purchase price and usable trim value, all yours to set
Dashboard with four tiles (yield against the weighted target, tests below target, cost per saleable unit, weight lost), yield by product against target, the yield gap to target by week, and tables by product and by week
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference and the Cut Yield calculator (Self-check: PASS)
CSV with live formulas for the Tests table; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx

Suggested use case

Use it to run regular cutting tests on every product, to compare suppliers, lots and cutters, and to price products on the real cost of what you sell rather than what you buy.

How to use it

On Setup, type your plant, currency and weight unit (lb or kg).
List your products with their target yield, purchase price per pound or kilo and what usable trim earns.
On Tests, add one row per cutting test: date, product, lot or supplier, cutter, starting weight, finished saleable weight and usable trim.
Fix anything the Check column names.
Open the Dashboard: yield against target by product and by week, the tests below target and the cost of every saleable unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate cut yield?: Divide the finished saleable weight by the starting weight. 490 lb of finished cuts from 750 lb of raw material is 490 / 750 = 65.3%, a third of a point above a 65% target, the Cut Yield calculator's own example. Below target, the workbook also shows the weight short: target yield x starting weight - finished weight.
What is the cost per saleable pound?: The purchase cost of the starting weight, less what the usable trim earns, divided by the finished weight. With 250 lb bought at 4.00 a pound, 20 lb of trim worth 1.50 a pound and 165 lb of finished cuts: (1,000 - 30) / 165 = 5.88 per saleable pound.
Why combine tests by weight and not average the yields?: Because a 250 lb test and a 50 lb test should not count the same. The workbook adds the finished and starting weights of every test and divides the totals, so the product, week and overall yields are the yields of all the meat cut.
What target yield should I use?: Your own, from past tests or your supplier specification, one per product and specification (bone-in or boneless, trim level, skin on or off). The workbook assumes no industry figure; the example targets are invented. Near target means within 2% below the target: 68.6% to 70% against a 70% target.
What counts as usable trim?: Trim you sell or use, such as lean trim for grinding or bones for stock, at what it earns. Fat, bone and purge you throw away are loss: the workbook shows them as weight lost, starting minus finished minus usable trim.
Can I use kilograms?: Yes. Choose kg on Setup and type every weight in kilograms and every price per kilo. Yield is a ratio, so nothing is converted.