Duck yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Duck: about 50% usable going oven-ready bird to roasted meat with skin, with a published range of 48–52%. That is a cost factor of 2.00: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 2 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oven-ready with neck and giblets → without | 88% | 85–90% | Neck and giblets | 1008 |
| Oven-ready → raw meat, skin, fat and giblets | 82% | 74–85% | Bone | 1009 |
| Oven-ready → roasted carcass | 62% | 58–67% | Fat and water rendered out | 1010 |
| Roasted whole, bone in → cooked meat with skin | 50% | 48–52% | Bone and rendered fat | 1016 |
| Roasted whole, bone in → cooked meat only | 33% | 31–35% | Bone, skin and fat | 1016 |
Duck loses a lot of fat in the oven, so only about half the oven-ready weight ends up as meat with skin, and a third without. Keep the rendered fat: it is worth money for roast potatoes.
What the yield does to the cost
| Usable duck needed | Buy (as purchased) at 50% |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 2 kg |
| 5 kg | 10 kg |
| 10 kg | 20 kg |
Use 50% in the yield calculator →
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 1008, 1009, 1010, 1016 (US samples of ready-to-cook ducks). Your own case is the real number: weigh it in the yield calculator.
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