Beef Cuts Chart: Where Every Cut Comes From
A cow is divided into 8 primal cuts. Each primal produces different steaks, roasts, and specialty cuts. Here's what comes from where.
5 min read
Sarah grew up on a cattle ranch in central Texas and spent 12 years managing direct-to-consumer beef programs for family farms across the Southern Plains. She has personally helped over 500 families navigate their first bulk beef purchase.
Quick Answer
A beef carcass is divided into 8 primal cuts: Chuck (26%), Round (22%), Rib (9%), Sirloin (9%), Short Loin (8%), Plate (6%), Brisket (5%), and Flank (3%). The tender, expensive steaks (ribeye, strip, filet) come from the Rib and Short Loin—just 17% of the animal.
The other 83% is roasts, ground beef, brisket, and specialty cuts that require slow cooking. This is why buying a half or quarter cow includes so much ground beef—it's anatomy, not a rip-off.
Interactive Beef Cuts Diagram
Hover or tap each section to see the individual cuts, expected quantities from half a cow, and recommended cooking methods.
All 8 Primal Cuts: Quick Reference
| Primal | % of Carcass | Key Cuts | Best Cooking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck | 26% | Chuck Roast, Arm Roast, Flat Iron Steak | Braise, slow cook |
| Rib | 9% | Ribeye Steak, Prime Rib Roast, Beef Back Ribs | Grill, pan-sear |
| Short Loin | 8% | NY Strip Steak, T-Bone Steak, Porterhouse | Grill, pan-sear |
| Sirloin | 9% | Top Sirloin Steak, Tri-Tip, Sirloin Tip Roast | Grill, pan-sear |
| Round | 22% | Top Round (London Broil), Bottom Round (Rump Roast), Eye of Round | Braise, slice thin |
| Brisket | 5% | Whole Packer Brisket, Flat, Point | Smoke 10-14 hrs at 225°F |
| Plate | 6% | Short Ribs, Skirt Steak (Inside), Skirt Steak (Outside) | Braise, smoke |
| Flank | 3% | Flank Steak | Marinate, grill, slice against grain |
Why Some Cuts Are Tender and Others Aren't
Tenderness is determined by how much work a muscle does. The less a muscle moves, the more tender it is. The Rib and Loin sit along the cow's back where muscles do almost nothing—that's why ribeye and filet mignon are so tender.
The Chuck (shoulder) and Round (hind leg) bear the animal's weight and power its movement. Those muscles are packed with connective tissue that's tough when cooked fast but melts into gelatin when braised or smoked low and slow.
Tender (grill, pan-sear)
- Rib → Ribeye, Prime Rib
- Short Loin → NY Strip, Filet, T-Bone
- Sirloin → Top Sirloin, Tri-Tip
Tough (braise, smoke, slow cook)
- Chuck → Chuck Roast, Arm Roast
- Round → Rump Roast, Eye of Round
- Brisket → Whole Packer, Flat
What This Means for Buying Half a Cow
When you buy a half cow, you get one side of the entire animal—all 8 primals. That means your share includes both the premium steaks (Rib, Loin) and the working-muscle cuts (Chuck, Round). You can't cherry-pick only the expensive primals.
The financial advantage is that you pay one averaged price per pound for everything. At $6-10/lb effective cost, your ribeyes and filets (worth $16-35/lb at the store) are subsidized by the ground beef and roasts. That's the bulk buying trade-off: you take the whole animal, including the 40-50% that becomes ground beef.
Your cut sheet determines how each primal gets broken down. For a deeper look at every individual cut with quantities and cooking tips, see our complete beef cuts guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 8 primal cuts of beef?
The 8 primal cuts are Chuck (shoulder, 26%), Rib (9%), Short Loin (8%), Sirloin (9%), Round (hind leg, 22%), Brisket (chest, 5%), Plate (front belly, 6%), and Flank (rear belly, 3%). These primals are then broken down into the individual retail cuts you see at the butcher — like ribeye from the Rib primal, or NY strip from the Short Loin.
Which primal cuts are the most tender?
The Rib and Short Loin are the most tender because those muscles do the least work on the animal. They produce ribeye, NY strip, filet mignon, T-bone, and porterhouse — the steakhouse cuts. The Chuck and Round are the toughest because they bear the most weight and movement, which is why they are best slow-cooked or braised.
How many steaks do you get from half a cow?
From a half cow, you typically get 12-16 ribeye steaks, 10-14 NY strips (or 6-8 T-bones + 4-6 porterhouses instead), 6-10 top sirloin steaks, and 6-8 filet mignon. That is roughly 35-50 steaks total, depending on thickness. Steaks make up only about 15-20% of your total take-home weight — the rest is roasts, ground beef, and specialty cuts.
What is the difference between a primal cut and a retail cut?
A primal cut is one of the 8 large sections a beef carcass is first divided into (like the Rib or Chuck). Retail cuts are the smaller, consumer-ready pieces the butcher cuts from each primal — like ribeye steaks from the Rib primal, or chuck roasts from the Chuck. When you fill out a cut sheet, you are choosing how each primal gets broken down into retail cuts.
Why is so much of the cow ground beef?
About 40-50% of take-home weight is ground beef because most of the animal is working muscle (Chuck, Round) that is too tough for steaks. Trim from shaping cuts, fat caps, and any roasts you decline also go into the grind. You can reduce ground beef by requesting more specialty cuts like stew meat, kabob meat, and fajita strips on your cut sheet.
What are the most expensive cuts on a cow?
At grocery stores: filet mignon ($25-35/lb), ribeye ($16-22/lb), NY strip ($15-20/lb), and porterhouse ($18-25/lb). These all come from the Rib and Short Loin primals — the two smallest primals on the animal. When you buy a half cow, you get these premium cuts at the same effective per-pound price as ground beef, which is the main financial advantage of buying bulk.
What Cuts Do You Get from Half a Cow?
Related Guides
Related Calculators
Sources & Methodology
- USDA FoodData Central — Beef Primal Cuts
- Penn State Extension — Understanding Beef Carcass Yields
- Oklahoma State University Extension — Buying a Side of Beef
- Half a Cow Club supplier directory — 1,200+ verified listings
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