How much meat do you actually take home from half a cow?
A half cow (one side of beef) yields 200–250 lbs of packaged, freezer-ready meat from a 300–400 lb hanging weight. The exact amount depends on the animal's size, your cut sheet choices, and how much bone-in vs boneless you request. Expect roughly 40% ground beef, 25% roasts, 20% steaks, and 15% specialty items (stew meat, short ribs, brisket, bones).
How many steaks are in half a cow?
A typical half cow yields 24–40 steaks depending on cut sheet choices: 8–12 ribeyes, 8–12 NY strips, 4–6 T-bones or filet mignon, and 2–4 sirloin steaks. You can increase steak count by cutting thinner (3/4" instead of 1") or by choosing steak preparations over roasts for certain primals.
How much ground beef from half a cow?
Expect 80–120 lbs of ground beef from a half cow — that's roughly 40–50% of your total take-home weight. Ground beef comes from trim, chuck, and round sections. You can increase this by asking the butcher to grind cuts you won't use (like round roasts or chuck roasts). Most families package it in 1 lb or 2 lb packs.
How long will half a cow last my family?
For a family of 4 eating beef 3–4 times per week (about 5 lbs/week), a half cow lasts 10–12 months. A family of 2 eating beef twice a week could stretch it to 18+ months, though freezer quality starts declining after 12 months. Use our price & servings calculator for a personalized estimate.
Why is the take-home weight so much less than hanging weight?
You lose about 35–40% of the hanging weight during processing. The losses come from: bone removal (if you choose boneless cuts), fat trimming, moisture loss during aging, and inedible waste. A 350 lb hanging weight typically yields 200–230 lbs of packaged meat. This is normal and expected — it's not the butcher keeping your meat. See Where the Weight Goes for the full breakdown.
Do I get both sides of every cut?
No — a half cow is literally one side of the animal, so you get one of each bilateral cut. That means one brisket (not two), one flank steak, one skirt steak. For cuts along the spine (ribeyes, NY strips, T-bones), you get the full count from your side. If you want two briskets or two flank steaks, you need a whole cow.
What's the most expensive cut I get from half a cow?
Filet mignon (tenderloin) retails for $25–40/lb at grocery stores. From a half cow, you get 4–6 lbs of tenderloin. At a bulk effective cost of $7–10/lb, you're saving $100–180 on tenderloin alone. Ribeye ($16–22/lb retail) and NY strip ($14–18/lb retail) are the next biggest value cuts.
Can I get more steaks and less ground beef?
Somewhat. You can ask for round steaks instead of round roasts, or sirloin tip steaks instead of roasts. But there's a limit — ground beef comes from trim and tougher cuts that don't make good steaks. The anatomy of the cow determines the rough proportions. If you want premium-steak-heavy, consider buying a hindquarter specifically (more loin and sirloin cuts).
Half Cow vs Quarter Cow: Yield Comparison
Typical ranges — exact amounts vary with the animal's size and your cut-sheet choices.
| What You Get | Quarter Cow | Half Cow | Whole Cow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take-Home Meat | 100–130 lbs | 200–250 lbs | 400–500 lbs |
| Steaks (premium) | 12–20 | 24–40 | 48–80 |
| Roasts | 3–4 | 5–7 | 10–14 |
| Ground Beef | 40–60 lbs | 80–120 lbs | 160–240 lbs |
| Briskets | 0–1 (half) | 1 whole | 2 whole |
| Freezer Space | ~4 cu ft | ~8 cu ft | ~16 cu ft |
| Total Cost (2026)* | $800–$1,500 | $1,500–$2,800 | $3,000–$5,500 |
| Feeds Family of 4 | 5–6 months | 10–12 months | 20–24 months |
How Long Will Half a Cow Last Your Family?
| Household | Beef Meals/Week | ~Lbs/Week | Half Cow Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Couple (2 people) | 2–3 | 2–3 lbs | 18–24 months |
| Small family (3–4) | 3–4 | 4–6 lbs | 10–12 months |
| Large family (5–6) | 4–5 | 7–10 lbs | 6–8 months |
| Frequent entertainers | 5+ | 10+ lbs | 4–6 months |
*See our price calculator for exact 2026 pricing. Weights and counts are typical ranges and depend on the cut sheet you submit. The steak counts here are premium steaks (ribeye, NY strip, T-bone, sirloin, filet); our What You Get page also counts value steaks (round, chuck, flank), so its running total is higher. Cutting thicker (1.5″) yields fewer, larger steaks; thinner (3/4″) yields more.