What is the yield of onion?

Onion typically yields 88% edible portion of its as-purchased weight, per the CIA Standard Yield Tables.

88%

Onion yields 88%

You buy onion by its whole weight, but you only plate 88% of it. That 12% 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.

Papery skin and the root end are the only real loss; most of the bulb plates.

Say your invoice shows $0.90 per lb of onion (an example AP price).

At 88% yield, your real cost is $1.02 per lb EP — because $0.90 ÷ 0.88 = $1.02.

AP price is illustrative; the EP figure is computed (AP ÷ yield). Use your real invoice price below.

Market readconfidence low · as of 2026-06-05

About $21.00–$24.75/sack (wholesale reference), up +16.7% over the recent window.

Sources · 7

usda-ams-atlanta · usda-ams-baltimore · usda-ams-boston · usda-ams-detroit · usda-ams-los-angeles · usda-ams-miami · usda-ams-new-york — public data, as of 2026-06-05. Wholesale reference, not the delivered price you pay.

Cost it in the calculator

Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion