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.Market readconfidence medium · as of 2026-06-05
About $1.86/lb (wholesale reference, single source), up +0.5% over the recent window.
Sources · 2
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion