Raw to Cooked Weight Calculator
Enter the raw weight of meat or poultry to get the cooked weight. Or enter the cooked weight that you want, and get the raw weight that you need. The yields come from the USDA Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry, December 2012.
Convert raw weight and cooked weight
The result is an estimate of weight. Real results vary. Look at the range, not only at the one number.
Measure your own yield
Weigh the meat raw. Cook it. Weigh it again while it is hot. Enter the two weights in the same unit.
How the calculation works
A cooking yield is a change of weight. The USDA document says that cooking yields describe changes in food weight due to moisture loss, water absorption, or fat gains and losses during food preparation and cooking.
The USDA calculates the cooking yield with this formula.
Yield (%) = 100 x (Wch / Wcr)
Wch is the weight of the cooked sample while it is hot. Wcr is the weight of the raw sample before cooking. In plain words, Yield (%) = 100 x (cooked weight / raw weight).
The calculator uses the same formula in two directions. Cooked weight = raw weight x yield / 100. Raw weight = cooked weight x 100 / yield.
The USDA document says that the cooked weight was recorded while the sample was hot, after a very brief resting time. The USDA document names cooking method, meat type and fat content as things that change the cooking yield. The minimum and the maximum in each row are the lowest and the highest yield in the USDA data set for that row.
Worked examples
- Raw to cooked. The row "Chicken, broiler-fryer, breast", baked or roasted, has a mean yield of 72%. For 500 g raw, 500 x 72 / 100 = 360 g cooked. The minimum yield of 61% gives 305 g. The maximum yield of 82% gives 410 g.
- Cooked to raw. For 360 g of cooked chicken breast from the same row, 360 x 100 / 72 = 500 g raw. The minimum yield gives the largest raw weight, 360 x 100 / 61 = 590.16 g. The maximum yield gives the smallest raw weight, 360 x 100 / 82 = 439.02 g. The last two results are rounded to 2 decimals.
- Ounces. The row "Beef, ground, low fat (<12%), patty", pan-broiled, has a mean yield of 77%. For 16 oz raw, 16 x 77 / 100 = 12.32 oz cooked.
- Your own yield. You weigh 1,000 g of raw meat and 650 g of hot cooked meat. 100 x (650 / 1,000) = 65%.
USDA rows in this calculator
The 27 rows are copied from the USDA Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry, December 2012. The descriptions and the methods are the words of the USDA table.
| Yield description (USDA) | Preparation method (USDA) | Mean yield | Range, minimum to maximum | Release year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, breast | Baked or Roasted, unspecified | 72% | 61% to 82% | 1975 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, breast | Poached, Simmered or Stewed | 77% | 70% to 88% | 1975 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, thigh | Baked or Roasted, unspecified | 69% | 58% to 79% | 1975 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, thigh | Poached, Simmered or Stewed | 74% | 67% to 82% | 1975 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, drumstick | Baked or Roasted, unspecified | 76% | 63% to 87% | 1975 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, wing | Poached, Simmered or Stewed | 86% | 74% to 96% | 1975 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, whole | Baked or Roasted, specified time | 78% | 68% to 84% | 1975 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, whole | Poached, Simmered or Stewed | 75% | 69% to 87% | 1975 |
| Beef, ground, low fat (<12%), patty | Pan-broiled | 77% | 76% to 78% | 2002 |
| Beef, ground, low fat (<12%), patty | Broiled or Grilled | 73% | 73% to 75% | 2002 |
| Beef, ground, low fat (<12%), crumbles | Fried in pan, Sauteed, or Stir-fried | 69% | 67% to 70% | 2002 |
| Beef, ground, medium fat (12%-22%), patty | Pan-broiled | 73% | 71% to 76% | 2002 |
| Beef, ground, medium fat (12%-22%), patty | Broiled or Grilled | 69% | 64% to 72% | 2002 |
| Beef, ground, high fat (>22%), patty | Pan-broiled | 69% | 68% to 72% | 2003 |
| Beef, ground, high fat (>22%), patty | Broiled or Grilled | 63% | 55% to 69% | 2003 |
| Beef, brisket, flat half, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades | Braised | 69% | 65% to 76% | 2000 |
| Beef, flank, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0" fat, all grades | Broiled or Grilled | 81% | 74% to 89% | 2003 |
| Beef, top sirloin, steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades | Broiled or Grilled | 80% | 69% to 87% | 2000 |
| Beef, tenderloin, steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades | Broiled or Grilled | 80% | 71% to 86% | 2000 |
| Pork, fresh, loin, top loin (chops), boneless, separable lean and fat | Pan-fried | 77% | 60% to 85% | 2011 |
| Pork, fresh, loin, center loin (roasts), bone-in, separable lean and fat | Baked or Roasted, unspecified | 77% | 63% to 88% | 2011 |
| Pork, fresh, shoulder, arm picnic, separable lean and fat | Braised | 74% | 70% to 78% | 2011 |
| Pork, fresh, spareribs, separable lean and fat | Baked or Roasted, unspecified | 76% | 68% to 79% | 2009 |
| Pork, cured, bacon | Baked or Roasted, unspecified | 32% | 31% to 33% | 2003 |
| Pork, ground, patty, medium fat (10%-27%) | Broiled or Grilled | 68% | 66% to 69% | 2009 |
| Lamb, retail cuts, roasts, all samples | Baked or Roasted, unspecified | 74% | 53% to 88% | 1975 |
| Lamb, retail cuts, shoulder, shank, breast, flank | Braised | 60% | 54% to 72% | 1975 |
Mean yield is the column "Cooking Yield %" of the USDA table. The range is the columns "Yield Minimum %" and "Yield Maximum %".
The release year is the most recent year for which the nutrient data for the item were made available in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. The 10 rows with the release year 1975 (8 chicken rows and 2 lamb rows) are based on items in USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 102, Food Yields.
The word "unspecified" in a method means that more details of the cooking method were not available for the USDA table.
The USDA published Release 2 of this table in September 2014. This page uses the December 2012 table. Each row on this page has the same mean yield and the same release year in Release 2. The minimum and the maximum are also the same when the Release 2 values are rounded to a whole percent. Release 2 has different words for 9 of the 27 rows. The names of the 6 chicken part rows end with "meat and skin", for example "Chicken, broiler-fryer, breast, meat and skin". The names of the 2 whole chicken rows end with "including skin". The method of the row "Beef, ground, low fat (<12%), crumbles" is "Pan-fried" in Release 2.
Sources: USDA Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry, December 2012 (PDF), the USDA cooking yields page with Release 2, and NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8.
Limits of this calculator
The USDA table has data for meat and poultry only. This page does not convert fish, rice, pasta or vegetables.
For a yield of your own meat and method, weigh the meat before and after cooking and use your own yield.
For the second unit the page uses the factor from NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8, 1 ounce (avoirdupois) = 28.34952 g.
Frequently asked questions
How much less does cooked chicken breast weigh than raw?
For baked or roasted chicken breast the USDA mean yield is 72%, so cooked meat weighs about 28% less than raw. 4 oz raw gives about 4 x 72 / 100 = 2.9 oz cooked. Poached or stewed breast keeps more weight, with a mean yield of 77%.
Should I log raw or cooked weight for calories?
Use the weight that matches the nutrition entry. A raw entry needs the raw weight, and a cooked entry needs the cooked weight. If you only weighed the cooked meat and your entry is raw, convert first: 150 g of roasted chicken breast is about 150 x 100 / 72 = 208 g raw.
How much raw ground beef do I buy for 4 cooked 4 oz burgers?
Four 4 oz burgers are 16 oz cooked. For medium-fat ground beef, pan-broiled, the mean yield is 73%: 16 x 100 / 73 = 21.9 oz raw, or about 1 1/3 lb. Leaner beef loses less weight and fattier beef loses more.
Why is the yield for bacon so low?
The USDA mean yield for baked bacon is 32%. Bacon is mostly fat and water, and most of both leave the strips in the pan. 1 lb (16 oz) of raw bacon gives about 5 oz of cooked bacon.
Does it matter when I weigh the cooked meat?
Yes. The USDA weighed the cooked samples hot, after a very short rest. Meat that cools for a long time or sits in its juices can weigh a little less or more. For your own yield, weigh at the same point each time.
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