Cucumber yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Cucumber: about 95% usable going whole to sliced, unpeeled, with a published range of 90–98%. That is a cost factor of 1.05: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 1.05 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole → sliced, unpeeled | 95% | 90–98% | Ends and bruised spots | 990 |
| Whole → peeled and sliced | 84% | 68–94% | Parings, ends and bruised spots | 989 |
Unpeeled cucumber is one of the most efficient things in the salad fridge. Peeling it costs you about a tenth of the weight.
Prep notes
Wash rather than peel unless the skin is waxed or bitter. For salads or tzatziki, halve and scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon; for sandwiches, slice thin and blot so the bread does not go soggy.
What the yield does to the cost
Cucumbers, class I, case of 14–16 at £7.99 (JJ Foodservice, 10 Oct 2026), assuming 15 cucumbers of about 350 g, is £1.52 a kilo as purchased. At 95% usable that is £1.60 per usable kilo.
Worked example: 30 g of sliced cucumber in a sandwich or salad garnish needs 32 g as purchased, costing 5p. Costed on the bought weight it would read 5p, so the costing would be 5% light, under 1p a portion: on this one the yield barely moves the cost.
| Usable cucumber needed | Buy (as purchased) at 95% |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 1.05 kg |
| 5 kg | 5.26 kg |
| 10 kg | 10.53 kg |
Use 95% in the yield calculator →
Typical uses
Salads, sandwiches, tzatziki and raita, Pimm's and gin garnishes, and pickles.
Storage and the trim
Cucumbers dislike the cold: keep them in the warmest part of the fridge, wrapped, for about a week. Cut cucumber keeps a day or two. Ends and seeds go in an infused water or a cold soup.
Yield source: USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 102, Food Yields Summarized by Different Stages of Preparation (Matthews and Garrison, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 1975), Table 1, items 990, 989 (US samples of whole cucumbers). Prices as stated, read on 10 Oct 2026. Your own case is the real number: weigh it in the yield calculator.
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