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.
How much to buy
As-purchased (AP) weight = the edible weight you need (EP) ÷ the yield. At 51%:
| Usable weight needed | Buy (as purchased) |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 1.96 kg |
| 5 kg | 9.8 kg |
| 10 kg | 19.61 kg |
Cost works the same way: usable cost per kilo = the price per kilo you pay ÷ 0.51. At £1.00 a kilo as purchased, usable melon (cantaloupe) cost £1.96 a kilo.
Use 51% 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 1518, 1519. These are averages from US samples of whole cantaloupe melons, 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.
All ingredient yields · Yield calculator · How to work out yield percentage