55%
Pumpkin yields 55%
You buy pumpkin by its whole weight, but you only plate 55% of it. That 45% loss is real cost the invoice never shows — here's the math.
At 55% yield, pumpkin carries a ×1.82 trim tax: its usable part costs the invoice price times 1.82.
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.
Cores, seeds, and stems are the loss; very little goes to waste here.
Say your invoice shows $0.80 per lb of pumpkin (an example AP price).
At 55% yield, your real cost is $1.45 per lb EP — because $0.80 ÷ 0.55 = $1.45.
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) | 55% |
| Lost to trim | 45% |
Source: CIA Standard Yield Tables.
Common questions
What is the yield of pumpkin?
Pumpkin typically yields 55% edible portion of its as-purchased weight, per the CIA Standard Yield Tables.
How much pumpkin is lost to trim?
About 45% 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 pumpkin?
Divide the as-purchased price by the yield: EP cost = AP price ÷ 0.55. At 55% yield, the trim makes your real plated cost meaningfully higher than the invoice price.
One ingredient's trim is the tax above — a plate stacks ten of them. The calculator adds them up.
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion