Catering portion guide
Plan on 6 oz of carved turkey per person, which works out to the familiar 1 lb of whole raw bird per person. For 20 guests that is about 7.5 lb of carved meat from a bird of roughly 20 lb.
A whole bone-in turkey is mostly frame. About 2.7 lb of raw bird yields 1 lb of carved meat, which is where the familiar 1 lb per person rule comes from.
Planning factor: 2.67x. For every 1 lb you want to serve, order about 2.67 lb of whole raw turkey.
Order is what to buy as whole raw turkey. Serves is what reaches the plate after trim and cooking.
| Guests | Order | Serves | Trays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 lb | 1.9 lb | 1 half tray |
| 6 | 6 lb | 2.3 lb | 1 half tray |
| 7 | 7 lb | 2.6 lb | 1 half tray |
| 8 | 8 lb | 3 lb | 1 half tray |
| 10 | 10 lb | 3.8 lb | 1 full tray |
| 12 | 12 lb | 4.5 lb | 1 full tray |
| 14 | 14 lb | 5.3 lb | 1 full tray |
| 15 | 15 lb | 5.6 lb | 1 full tray |
| 20 | 20 lb | 7.5 lb | 1 full + 1 half trays |
| 25 | 25 lb | 9.4 lb | 1 full + 1 half trays |
| 30 | 30 lb | 11.3 lb | 2 full trays |
| 40 | 40.1 lb | 15 lb | 2 full + 1 half trays |
| 50 | 50.1 lb | 18.8 lb | 3 full trays |
| 60 | 60.1 lb | 22.5 lb | 3 full + 1 half trays |
| 75 | 75.1 lb | 28.1 lb | 4 full + 1 half trays |
| 100 | 100.1 lb | 37.5 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.
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