Meat Per Person Calculator
Work out how much meat to buy for dinner, based on number of guests and type of meat.
How to use the calculator
- Enter the number of people you're serving.
- Choose the type of meat — the calculator uses a recommended amount per person suited to that type, since bone-in meat requires more raw weight than boneless meat.
- The calculator shows the total amount in grams and kilograms.
How the amount is calculated
The calculator multiplies the number of people by a recommended amount per person for the selected type of meat:
Bone-in meat (like whole chicken or ribs) requires more raw weight per person than lean, boneless meat, since part of the weight is lost to bone and cooking loss.
Raw weight is not serving weight
Meat shrinks during cooking as water and fat are driven off. How much depends on the cut and the cooking temperature, but a loss on the order of a quarter of the raw weight is entirely normal. If you think of a portion as the finished, served quantity, the raw weight you buy has to be noticeably higher than the figure you had in mind.
Bone and fat push in the same direction. A kilo of ribeye and a kilo of chops yield very different amounts of edible meat, and a whole leg of lamb consists of a substantial proportion of bone that never reaches the plate. For bone-in cuts you should therefore add an allowance on top of the shrinkage, while trimmed, boneless cuts come closer to one-to-one.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need more bone-in meat or chicken per person than steak?
Bone and cooking loss make up part of the weight of bone-in meat, so you need to buy more raw weight to end up with the same amount of ready-to-eat meat as with boneless cuts.
Should I calculate differently for children?
Yes, children typically eat less than adults. You can count a child as roughly half to two-thirds of a portion depending on age, or adjust the number of people in the calculator manually.