How much ham for 50 people?

For 50 guests, order about 24.8 lb of bone-in ham, which serves about 16.6 lb. That is roughly 3 full trays.

How much ham for 100 people?

For 100 guests, order about 49.7 lb of bone-in ham, which serves about 33.1 lb. That is roughly 6 full trays.

Catering portion guide

How much ham per person?

In short

Plan on 1/3 lb (about 5.3 oz) of carved ham per person as a main. Bone-in ham yields about two thirds, so buy roughly 1/2 lb per person: 50 guests needs about 17 lb carved from about 25 lb of bone-in ham.

Buy more ham than you serve

Bone-in ham loses roughly a third of its weight to bone and trim. Boneless ham is close to 1.1, so buy less if you are ordering boneless.

Planning factor: 1.5x. For every 1 lb you want to serve, order about 1.5 lb of bone-in ham.

How much ham for 10 to 100 people

Order is what to buy as bone-in ham. Serves is what reaches the plate after trim and cooking.

Ham quantities by guest count, showing purchase weight and served weight
Guests	Order	Serves	Trays
6	3 lb	2 lb	1 half tray
8	4 lb	2.7 lb	1 half tray
10	5 lb	3.3 lb	1 full tray
12	6 lb	4 lb	1 full tray
15	7.5 lb	5 lb	1 full tray
20	9.9 lb	6.6 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
25	12.4 lb	8.3 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
30	14.9 lb	9.9 lb	2 full trays
40	19.9 lb	13.3 lb	2 full + 1 half trays
50	24.8 lb	16.6 lb	3 full trays
60	29.8 lb	19.9 lb	3 full + 1 half trays
75	37.3 lb	24.8 lb	4 full + 1 half trays
100	49.7 lb	33.1 lb	6 full trays

These are standard food-service planning figures, not fixed constants. Real yield moves with cut, trim level, cooking method, and how long the food is held. Weigh your own results once and adjust the factor to your kitchen.

Things that change the number

Ham is usually pre-cooked, so you are reheating rather than cooking, and loss is mostly carving.
Spiral-cut hams carve with less waste but dry faster when held.
Ham holds well cold, which makes it forgiving for buffet service.

Common questions

How much ham per person?: Plan on 1/3 lb (about 5.3 oz) of carved ham per person as a main. Bone-in ham yields about two thirds, so buy roughly 1/2 lb per person: 50 guests needs about 17 lb carved from about 25 lb of bone-in ham.
How much ham for 50 people?: For 50 guests, order about 24.8 lb of bone-in ham, which serves about 16.6 lb. That is roughly 3 full trays.
How much ham for 100 people?: For 100 guests, order about 49.7 lb of bone-in ham, which serves about 33.1 lb. That is roughly 6 full trays.

Working out a whole menu, not one dish?

The catering food calculator takes your actual dish list and guest count and returns quantities, tray counts, and a cost range for the whole event.

Open the catering food calculator