Melon (cantaloupe) yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Melon (cantaloupe): about 51% usable going whole to flesh, with a published range of 29–74%. That is a cost factor of 1.96: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 1.96 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole → flesh | 51% | 29–74% | Seeds and cavity (~9%), rind (~39%), cutting loss | 1518 |
| Halves, seeds removed → flesh | 56% | — | Rind and cutting loss | 1519 |
A melon is about half rind and seeds. For a fruit salad, the cost per kilo of usable melon is roughly twice the price per kilo you pay.
Prep notes
Halve, scoop out the seeds, then cut into wedges and run the knife along the rind. For balls or neat dice the yield falls well below 51%, so cost a presentation garnish on what actually reaches the plate.
What the yield does to the cost
Using an example price of £2.00 for a 1.2 kg cantaloupe (not a quote: check your supplier), melon costs £1.67 a kilo as bought and £3.27 per usable kilo. A 150 g fruit-salad portion of melon needs 294 g of whole melon, about 49p.
| Usable melon (cantaloupe) needed | Buy (as purchased) at 51% |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 1.96 kg |
| 5 kg | 9.8 kg |
| 10 kg | 19.61 kg |
Use 51% in the yield calculator →
Typical uses
Breakfast fruit, melon and Parma ham starters, fruit salads and smoothies.
Storage and the trim
Ripen whole at room temperature, then refrigerate. Cut melon keeps about three days wrapped, and it taints other foods, so keep it covered. Seeds and rind are waste; offcuts from neat dicing go into smoothies or a fruit salad.
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 1518, 1519 (US samples of whole cantaloupe melons). 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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