Quarter Cow vs. Half Cow: Which Should You Buy?

Buy a quarter if you want about 100 lb of mixed cuts and have roughly 4 cubic feet of freezer space. Buy a half if you want about 200 lb, a whole brisket, and twice the steaks, and you have about 8 cubic feet. If your household mostly cooks ground beef, the 80 lb Ground Box is the simpler choice.

Side by side

A half share is, almost exactly, two quarters. Same animal, same cutting style, same packaging. The differences are scale, a few cuts that come whole instead of halved, and how much room you need to keep it all frozen.

• Packaged weight: a quarter is 90 to 110 lb, averaging about 100 lb. A half is 180 to 220 lb, averaging about 200 lb.
• Freezer space: about 4 cubic feet for a quarter, about 8 cubic feet for a half.
• Brisket: a quarter gets half a brisket (about 3 to 5 lb). A half gets a whole brisket (about 6 to 12 lb).
• Ground beef: 35 to 50 lb in a quarter, 70 to 100 lb in a half, always in 1 lb packages.
• Payment: both are 40% due today, based on average packaged weight, with the balance due when your order ships.

Totals and what is due today

Both shares are priced per pound of packaged weight. The table below pulls current pricing straight from our shop, so it is always up to date. The share totals are estimates based on average packaged weight; before shipping we email your exact weight and final balance. The Ground Box is a fixed 80 lb, so its total is exact.

What you get in each

Here is the half share cut list. Compare it with the quarter list in How Much Beef Is in a Quarter Cow? and you will see each line roughly doubles.

When a quarter makes more sense

A quarter is a good first share. It gives you every kind of cut, from ribeye to short ribs to soup bones, without committing a whole chest freezer to beef. It is a fit if:

• You have around 4 cubic feet of free freezer space, not 8.
• You want to try whole-animal, grass-fed beef before buying more.
• You cook for a smaller household, or beef is on the menu a few times a week rather than most nights.
• You prefer a smaller deposit today.

When a half makes more sense

A half suits people who already know they eat a lot of beef, or who plan to split an order with family or neighbors. It is a fit if:

• You have about 8 cubic feet of freezer space, typically a dedicated chest or upright freezer.
• You want a whole brisket for smoking, and twice the steaks.
• You cook for a larger household or want fewer orders over the year.
• You plan to share with another household. Just agree on how to divide the cuts before the box arrives.

The Ground Box: for people who mostly cook ground beef

Not everyone wants roasts. If your weeknights run on tacos, burgers, sauces and meatballs, the 80 lb Ground Box is a simpler buy: 80 individual 1 lb packages of 95% lean grass-fed ground beef, frozen and vacuum-sealed, with no water injected. It needs about 3 cubic feet of freezer space and, because the weight is fixed, the total is exact.

Same herd, whatever you choose

Whichever size you buy, the beef comes from the same closed herd on Umnak Island, raised on grass year-round with no grain, no antibiotics and no added hormones, and processed at our USDA facility at Fort Glenn. The first release ships frozen in summer 2027 after the spring roundup, with free frozen shipping anywhere in the continental US.

Ready to compare in the shop? See the 1/4 Beef and 1/2 Beef pages, or read how it works from deposit to delivery.