85%
Beef tenderloin yields 85%
You buy beef tenderloin by its whole weight, but you only plate 85% of it. That 15% loss is real cost the invoice never shows — here's the math.
Yield is the fraction of an ingredient that actually reaches the plate after you clean, peel, and trim it. What you pay is the AP (as-purchased) price; what it costs on the plate is the EP (edible-portion) price.
Bone, fat cap, and silverskin are the loss — and they vary by cut and butcher. Bone-in costs less per pound but yields less plate.
Say your invoice shows $20.00 per lb of beef tenderloin (an example AP price).
At 85% yield, your real cost is $23.53 per lb EP — because $20.00 ÷ 0.85 = $23.53.
AP price is illustrative; the EP figure is computed (AP ÷ yield). Use your real invoice price below.Yield breakdown
| As-purchased (AP) | 100% |
|---|---|
| Edible portion (EP) | 85% |
| Lost to trim | 15% |
Source: CIA Standard Yield Tables.
Common questions
What is the yield of beef tenderloin?
Beef tenderloin typically yields 85% edible portion of its as-purchased weight, per the CIA Standard Yield Tables.
How much beef tenderloin is lost to trim?
About 15% of the as-purchased weight is lost to cleaning, peeling, and trimming before it reaches the plate.
How do you calculate the edible-portion cost of beef tenderloin?
Divide the as-purchased price by the yield: EP cost = AP price ÷ 0.85. At 85% yield, the trim makes your real plated cost meaningfully higher than the invoice price.
Market readconfidence medium · as of 2026-07-16
About $14.37–$14.67/lb (wholesale reference), down -3.7% over the recent window.
At today's reference (~$14.52/lb) and the 85% yield, your edible lb runs about $17.08.
Higher than 5 of its last 26 weekly reads — near the bottom of its recent range.
Hold. Inside its usual range — nothing to do.
Enter your price to compare it against this public wholesale reference.
One pricing methodology backs the level.
Sources · 3
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion