Lobster yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Lobster: about 28% usable going live to cooked meat, with a published range of 22–36%. That is a cost factor of 3.57: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 3.57 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live → boiled whole | 92% | 84–104% | Cooking loss | 1448 |
| Boiled whole → body, claw and tail meat | 28% | 22–36% | Shell and inedible parts | 1449 |
Yields multiply: 92% × 28% ≈ 26% for live → picked meat. You never add the losses together.
About a quarter of a live lobster's weight ends up as meat. A 500 g lobster gives about 130 g of picked meat, which is why it is priced as a whole plate.
What the yield does to the cost
| Usable lobster needed | Buy (as purchased) at 28% |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 3.57 kg |
| 5 kg | 17.86 kg |
| 10 kg | 35.71 kg |
Use 28% 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 1448, 1449 (US samples of live lobsters). Your own case is the real number: weigh it in the yield calculator.
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