45%
Lemon yields 45%
You buy lemon by its whole weight, but you only plate 45% of it. That 55% 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.
You buy the whole fruit but plate only the juice or segments. Yield is low, so cost per usable ounce runs high.
Say your invoice shows $0.40 per each of lemon (an example AP price).
At 45% yield, your real cost is $0.89 per each EP — because $0.40 ÷ 0.45 = $0.89.
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) | 45% |
| Lost to trim | 55% |
Source: CIA Standard Yield Tables.
Common questions
What is the yield of lemon?
Lemon typically yields 45% edible portion of its as-purchased weight, per the CIA Standard Yield Tables.
How much lemon is lost to trim?
About 55% 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 lemon?
Divide the as-purchased price by the yield: EP cost = AP price ÷ 0.45. At 45% yield, the trim makes your real plated cost meaningfully higher than the invoice price.
Market readconfidence medium · as of 2026-07-16
About $45.37–$48.00/carton (wholesale reference), down -4.7% over the recent window.
Higher than 3 of its last 26 weekly reads — near the bottom of its recent range.
Cheapest in Los Angeles (~$44.50), priciest in Baltimore (~$53.00).
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.
Sources · 2
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion