75%
Pork shoulder yields 75%
You buy pork shoulder by its whole weight, but you only plate 75% of it. That 25% 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, skin, and trim are the loss. A whole bird costs less per pound but yields far less usable meat than a portioned cut.
Say your invoice shows $2.50 per lb of pork shoulder (an example AP price).
At 75% yield, your real cost is $3.33 per lb EP — because $2.50 ÷ 0.75 = $3.33.
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) | 75% |
| Lost to trim | 25% |
Source: CIA Standard Yield Tables.
Common questions
What is the yield of pork shoulder?
Pork shoulder typically yields 75% edible portion of its as-purchased weight, per the CIA Standard Yield Tables.
How much pork shoulder is lost to trim?
About 25% 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 pork shoulder?
Divide the as-purchased price by the yield: EP cost = AP price ÷ 0.75. At 75% yield, the trim makes your real plated cost meaningfully higher than the invoice price.
Market readconfidence medium · as of 2026-07-16
About $1.10–$1.18/lb (wholesale reference), down -8.1% over the recent window.
At today's reference (~$1.14/lb) and the 75% yield, your edible lb runs about $1.52.
Higher than 2 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