60%
Cauliflower yields 60%
You buy cauliflower by its whole weight, but you only plate 60% of it. That 40% 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.
Florets-only means the stalks and core leave as loss — unless they go into a stock or a slaw.
Say your invoice shows $3.00 per head of cauliflower (an example AP price).
At 60% yield, your real cost is $5.00 per head EP — because $3.00 ÷ 0.60 = $5.00.
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) | 60% |
| Lost to trim | 40% |
Source: CIA Standard Yield Tables.
Common questions
What is the yield of cauliflower?
Cauliflower typically yields 60% edible portion of its as-purchased weight, per the CIA Standard Yield Tables.
How much cauliflower is lost to trim?
About 40% 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 cauliflower?
Divide the as-purchased price by the yield: EP cost = AP price ÷ 0.60. At 60% yield, the trim makes your real plated cost meaningfully higher than the invoice price.
Market readconfidence low · as of 2026-07-16
About $28.69–$41.69/carton (wholesale reference), flat +0% over the recent window.
Higher than 0 of its last 26 weekly reads — near the bottom of its recent range.
Cheapest in Baltimore (~$25.00), priciest in Miami (~$55.00).
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, and the trend leans on a single independent source.
Sources · 1
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion