Green beans yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Green beans: about 88% usable going whole to ready to cook, with a published range of 62–97%. That is a cost factor of 1.14: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 1.14 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green beans, whole → ready to cook | 88% | 62–97% | Ends and strings | 200 |
| Ready to cook → boiled or steamed | 98% | 82–108% | Little change | 202 |
| Frozen → boiled | 90% | 79–101% | Water lost | 214 |
| Runner beans, whole → ready to cook | 92% | — | Ends and strings (limited data) | 199 |
Yields multiply: 88% × 98% ≈ 86% for whole → cooked. You never add the losses together.
Fine beans that only need topping waste little; older beans that need stringing sit at the low end of the range.
What the yield does to the cost
| Usable green beans needed | Buy (as purchased) at 88% |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 1.14 kg |
| 5 kg | 5.68 kg |
| 10 kg | 11.36 kg |
Use 88% 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 200, 202, 214, 199 (US samples of fresh green and runner beans). Your own case is the real number: weigh it in the yield calculator.
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