Food yield percentage: formula, chart and calculator
By mise · Updated October 7, 2026
Quick answer: yield percentage = edible portion (EP) weight ÷ as-purchased (AP) weight × 100. True cost per usable unit = AP price ÷ yield. Example: 10 lb of salmon that gives 7.2 lb of portions has a 72% yield, so $12/lb AP costs $16.67 per usable lb.
Do it in mise
- Scan a barcode or snap a photo: mise's AI finds the product and brings it back categorized.
- Recipe cards built from the products in your inventory, with quantities and units.
- A yield factor per ingredient, applied to the cost automatically.
- Total cost, cost per portion, menu price and margin, worked out instantly.
- Costs follow the prices on invoices logged in mise: the recipe flags when a price has changed.
Free trial, no card.
Scan a barcode or snap a photo: mise's AI finds the product and brings it back categorized, and recipe costing applies the yield factor for you: pick the ingredients, enter the quantity and the yield factor, and the app works out each ingredient's cost, the total recipe cost, the cost per portion and the margin, kept current with the prices you paid on invoices logged in mise.
Recipes use trimmed, cooked, portioned food; invoices charge for the whole thing. Yield is the bridge between the two, and ignoring it is one of the most common reasons theoretical food cost is too optimistic.
The formula
Typical yields (check your own)
| Ingredient | Typical yield |
|---|---|
| Whole salmon to fillet | 55–65% |
| Beef tenderloin, trimmed | 65–75% |
| Whole chicken, raw to cooked meat | 40–50% |
| Onions, peeled | 85–90% |
| Romaine lettuce | 70–80% |
| Pineapple | 50–55% |
| Potatoes, peeled | 80–85% |
Run your own yield test: weigh what you receive, prep it as you normally do, weigh the usable part. Repeat three times and average. Put the result in the recipe cost.
How to run a yield test, step by step
- Weigh the product as received (AP weight) and write down the price paid.
- Prep it exactly as the kitchen normally does: trim, peel, debone, cook, portion.
- Weigh the usable result (EP weight). Weigh the trim separately if some of it has a use (stock, staff meal).
- Yield % = EP ÷ AP × 100. True cost per usable unit = AP price ÷ yield.
- Repeat with two or three deliveries and average; yield varies by supplier, size and cook.
Worked example: a beef tenderloin
| Step | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|
| As purchased (AP) | 6.0 lb | $15.50/lb → $93.00 |
| After trimming silverskin and chain | 4.5 lb | Chain used for staff meal |
| Portioned into 8 oz steaks | 4.25 lb | 8 steaks + 4 oz of tips |
| Usable (EP) | 4.25 lb | Yield = 4.25 ÷ 6.0 = 70.8% |
Using yield in recipes and counts
- Recipes: always cost the ingredient at its true (yield-adjusted) price. See recipe costing.
- Ordering: to get 10 lb of usable product at 70% yield, buy 10 ÷ 0.7 ≈ 14.3 lb.
- Counting: count raw products in the unit you buy; count prepped items separately and value them at the cost of what went into them.
Keep a yield sheet
Record each yield test with the date, supplier, AP weight, EP weight and yield %, so recipe costs use your own numbers instead of a generic chart.
Point the camera and the product comes up complete: name, brand, category, size and photo — the mise AI finds it from the barcode or a photo. Free trial, no card.
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AP vs EP and trim loss
US kitchens write yield as AP (as purchased) and EP (edible portion): yield % = EP weight ÷ AP weight × 100. Trim loss is the rest: AP − EP, or 100 % − yield %. UK kitchens usually just say yield and trim or waste. In recipe costing, EP cost = AP price ÷ yield %: a beef tenderloin with a 70 % yield costs about 1.43 times its invoice price per usable pound or kilo.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate yield percentage?
Divide the usable (edible portion) weight by the as-purchased weight and multiply by 100.
What is a yield test?
Weighing an ingredient as received, prepping it normally and weighing the usable result, to find its real yield.
What is the difference between AP and EP?
AP (as purchased) is what you buy and pay for; EP (edible portion) is what is left to serve after trimming, peeling and cooking.
Does cooking loss count in yield?
Yes, if you portion after cooking. Many kitchens track two yields: raw trim yield and cooked yield, and multiply them.
How often should yield tests be repeated?
When you change supplier or product size, and a few times a year for your most expensive items.
Should trim be counted as waste?
Only if it is thrown away. Trim used for stocks, sauces or staff meals has value; record it so it is not mixed with spoilage.
Is there an app that applies yield percentage to recipe costs?
Yes, mise. You build the recipe with its ingredients, enter the yield factor for each one and the app calculates the portion cost and margin from the price you pay. The same app counts inventory by scanning barcodes or snapping a photo.
Is there a recipe costing app that applies yield automatically?
Yes, mise. On a recipe card you pick the ingredients, enter the quantity and the yield factor for each, and the app applies it to the cost and works out the total cost, the cost per portion and the margin. Costs follow the prices you paid on invoices logged in mise, and the recipe flags when a price has changed.