Bulk Weights Explained

When you order beef directly from Liberty Acres Cattle Co., you're getting premium, grass-fed and grain-finished beef straight from our Fairhope, Alabama ranch. We’ve created this guide for first time buyers to understand the final weight of their beef purchase.

There are three key weight measurements in the beef production process:

Live Weight

This is how much the animal weighs while standing in the pasture. Our cattle typically weigh between 1,100-1,400 pounds when they're ready for processing. This is just the starting point of your beef's journey.

Hanging Weight

After processing, the carcass (without the head, hide, and internal organs) is weighed. This "hanging weight" is what we use for pricing your order, as it provides the most consistent and fair pricing method.

For reference:

Half beef: Approximately 375-400 lbs hanging weight

Whole beef: Approximately 750-800 lbs hanging weight

Final Packaged Weight

This is the weight of the trimmed, freezer-ready cuts that you'll take home. The packaged weight typically ranges from 60-70% of the hanging weight, depending on several factors. Your cutting preferences (bone-in vs. boneless cuts), the amount of ground beef (more ground beef usually means less waste), fat trim level (how much fat is trimmed from steaks and roasts), and aging time (longer aging can result in some moisture loss) all affect the final weight.

When you purchase from Liberty Acres, here's what you can expect in terms of hanging weight:

Half beef: Approximately 375-400 lbs hanging weight

Whole beef: Approximately 750-800 lbs hanging weight

To put this in perspective, a half beef will fill approximately 5-7 cubic feet of freezer space. That's about half of a standard chest freezer.

Example Breakdown

Let's look at a practical example:

If you order a half beef with a hanging weight of 400 lbs, you can expect to receive around 240 to 260 lbs of packaged beef (60-70% of hanging weight). This typically includes a variety of cuts from steaks and roasts to ground beef and specialty items.