How much shrimp for 50 people?

For 50 guests, order about 25 lb of shell-on shrimp, which serves about 15.6 lb. That is roughly 2 full + 1 half trays.

How much shrimp for 100 people?

For 100 guests, order about 50 lb of shell-on shrimp, which serves about 31.3 lb. That is roughly 5 full trays.

Catering portion guide

How much shrimp per person?

In short

Plan on about 5 oz of peeled cooked shrimp per person as a main, or 3 oz as an appetizer. Shell-on shrimp yields around 60 percent, so buy about 8 oz shell-on per person for a main: 20 guests needs roughly 10 lb shell-on.

Buy more shrimp than you serve

Shell-on shrimp loses roughly 40 percent to shell and head. Peeled and deveined shrimp is already trimmed, so buy close to what you serve.

Planning factor: 1.6x. For every 1 lb you want to serve, order about 1.6 lb of shell-on shrimp.

How much shrimp for 10 to 100 people

Order is what to buy as shell-on shrimp. Serves is what reaches the plate after trim and cooking.

Shrimp quantities by guest count, showing purchase weight and served weight
Guests	Order	Serves	Trays
2	1 lb	0.6 lb	1 half tray
3	1.5 lb	0.9 lb	1 half tray
4	2 lb	1.3 lb	1 half tray
5	2.5 lb	1.6 lb	1 half tray
6	3 lb	1.9 lb	1 half tray
7	3.5 lb	2.2 lb	1 half tray
8	4 lb	2.5 lb	1 half tray
10	5 lb	3.1 lb	1 half tray
12	6 lb	3.8 lb	1 full tray
15	7.5 lb	4.7 lb	1 full tray
20	10 lb	6.3 lb	1 full tray
25	12.5 lb	7.8 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
30	15 lb	9.4 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
40	20 lb	12.5 lb	2 full trays
50	25 lb	15.6 lb	2 full + 1 half trays
60	30 lb	18.8 lb	3 full trays
75	37.5 lb	23.4 lb	4 full trays
100	50 lb	31.3 lb	5 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

As a cocktail appetizer, count pieces instead: 4 to 5 shrimp per person at 16/20 count.
Already peeled and deveined shrimp needs almost no yield adjustment.
Shrimp overcooks in seconds, so cook to order for plated service.

Common questions

How much shrimp per person?: Plan on about 5 oz of peeled cooked shrimp per person as a main, or 3 oz as an appetizer. Shell-on shrimp yields around 60 percent, so buy about 8 oz shell-on per person for a main: 20 guests needs roughly 10 lb shell-on.
How much shrimp for 50 people?: For 50 guests, order about 25 lb of shell-on shrimp, which serves about 15.6 lb. That is roughly 2 full + 1 half trays.
How much shrimp for 100 people?: For 100 guests, order about 50 lb of shell-on shrimp, which serves about 31.3 lb. That is roughly 5 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