Carrots yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Carrots: about 82% usable going whole (without tops) to peeled, with a published range of 58–93%. That is a cost factor of 1.22: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 1.22 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Without tops → scraped or peeled by hand | 82% | 58–93% | Scrapings | 481 |
| Without tops → machine scraped | 83% | 68–89% | Scrapings | 482 |
| With full tops → hand scraped | 59% | — | Tops and scrapings | 479 |
| Scraped → boiled | 92% | 88–97% | Water lost in cooking | 484 |
Bunched carrots with full tops cost you over 40% in tops before the peeler comes out. Price them per kilo of root, not per bunch.
How much to buy
As-purchased (AP) weight = the edible weight you need (EP) ÷ the yield. At 82%:
| Usable weight needed | Buy (as purchased) |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 1.22 kg |
| 5 kg | 6.1 kg |
| 10 kg | 12.2 kg |
Cost works the same way: usable cost per kilo = the price per kilo you pay ÷ 0.82. At £1.00 a kilo as purchased, usable carrots cost £1.22 a kilo.
Use 82% 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 481, 482, 479, 484. These are averages from US samples of carrots without tops, 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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