New Beef and Pork Grids Help Measure Carcass Muscles Easily

By Andi Anderson

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has restocked two helpful tools designed for farmers, educators, and meat processors who work with livestock carcass evaluation.

These tools, the Beef Ribeye Grid and the Pork Loin Eye Grid, are now available again through the ISU Extension Store. They are widely used to estimate the size of ribeye and loin eye muscles in beef and pork carcasses.

These measurements play an important role in livestock judging contests, youth fair carcass evaluations, and by producers who want more accurate information to guide breeding decisions. The process of using the grids is simple and practical.

Each grid is printed on a transparent sheet. When the sheet is placed over the cut surface of the muscle, the user counts the dots within the muscle area. The final number is then converted into square inches to determine the muscle size.

Terry Houser, associate professor and extension meat specialist at Iowa State, explains how the grids are used for beef. He stated that for beef carcasses, the ribeye is measured at the cut surface between the 12th and 13th ribs. This location is the same spot used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture when assigning quality and yield grades. Each dot on the beef grading grid represents one‑tenth of an inch.

For pork evaluations, the method is slightly different. Houser noted that the pork grid measures the loin eye muscle at the 10th and 11th rib cut surface. Because pork loins tend to be smaller than beef ribeyes, each dot on the pork grid represents one‑twentieth of an inch.

Each product is sold as a pack of five grids and is priced at $20. This makes the tools affordable for classroom use, judging teams, and producers who want reliable carcass data. Their simple design also makes them suitable for students learning about meat science and for new livestock evaluators.

With the restocking of these tools, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach continues to support accurate and accessible livestock education across the region.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-luoman