Apples yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Apples: about 78% usable going whole to peeled, cored flesh, with a published range of 60–87%. That is a cost factor of 1.28: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 1.28 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole, all varieties → flesh (peeled, cored) | 78% | 60–87% | Skin (~7%), core and stem (~8%), defects (~7%) | 17 |
| Whole, Golden Delicious → flesh | 77% | 68–87% | Skin, core, stem and defects | 20 |
| Whole, Delicious → flesh | 81% | 67–85% | Skin, core, stem and defects | 19 |
The handbook tested US varieties; Bramley and Gala are not listed, so weigh a case of your own. For a crumble or pie, about a fifth of the apple you buy ends up as peel and core.
How much to buy
As-purchased (AP) weight = the edible weight you need (EP) ÷ the yield. At 78%:
| Usable weight needed | Buy (as purchased) |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 1.28 kg |
| 5 kg | 6.41 kg |
| 10 kg | 12.82 kg |
Cost works the same way: usable cost per kilo = the price per kilo you pay ÷ 0.78. At £1.00 a kilo as purchased, usable apples cost £1.28 a kilo.
Use 78% in the yield calculator →
Where the numbers come from
USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 102, Food Yields Summarized by Different Stages of Preparation (Matthews and Garrison, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 1975), Table 1, items 17, 20, 19. These are averages from US samples of whole raw apples, weighed before and after each stage of prep. Varieties, sizes, UK grading and your own knife work all move the number, which is why every row shows the range as well as the average.
Use these figures to plan and to sense-check. To cost a dish properly, weigh your own: weigh a case as it arrives, prep it the way you do in service, weigh what is usable, and put both weights into the yield calculator.
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