Lemons yield: how much is usable after prep (AP to EP %)
Lemons: about 43% usable going whole to juice, with a published range of 29–55%. That is a cost factor of 2.33: for every kilo you need ready to use, buy 2.33 kg as purchased.
Yield by preparation stage
| Stage | Average | Range | What is lost | USDA item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole → juice | 43% | 29–55% | Peel, seeds and membranes | 1413 |
| Whole → juice, strained | 36% | 18–46% | Peel, pulp and seeds | 1414 |
| Whole → cartwheel slices with peel | 80% | 64–93% | Waste ends and handling loss | 1415 |
| Whole → wedges with peel | 98% | 98–100% | Seeds | 1416 |
Less than half a lemon's weight is juice, and straining takes it down to about a third. For garnish the picture flips: wedges waste almost nothing, slices lose the two ends. Limes give a similar 47% juice (range 38–56%, USDA item 1428).
How much to buy
As-purchased (AP) weight = the edible weight you need (EP) ÷ the yield. At 43%:
| Usable weight needed | Buy (as purchased) |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 2.33 kg |
| 5 kg | 11.63 kg |
| 10 kg | 23.26 kg |
Cost works the same way: usable cost per kilo = the price per kilo you pay ÷ 0.43. At £1.00 a kilo as purchased, usable lemons cost £2.33 a kilo.
Use 43% 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 1413, 1414, 1415, 1416. These are averages from US samples of whole lemons, 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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