Weight without a scale
Cattle weight calculator (heart girth and length)
No scale at the pens? Two tape measurements give a working estimate of live weight for dosing, feeding and sale decisions.
To estimate cattle weight without a scale, measure the heart girth (around the body just behind the front legs) and the body length (point of the shoulder to the pin bone) in inches. Multiply girth × girth × length and divide by 300. A 70-inch girth and a 60-inch length give about 980 lb (445 kg).
Example numbers. Change them to your own.
How to measure
- Stand the animal square on level ground. Head up, weight on all four legs.
- Heart girth. Run the tape around the body right behind the front legs and the shoulder, snug but not tight.
- Body length. Measure in a straight line from the point of the shoulder to the pin bone (point of the rump).
- Treat it as an estimate. Gut fill, pregnancy, hair and body type move the number. Weigh on a scale when the exact weight matters, such as for sale weight or drug doses with a narrow margin.
How accurate is weighing cattle with a tape?
It is an estimate, not a scale weight. The heart girth and length formula is widely used by extension services because it tracks scale weight closely on cattle of average condition, but gut fill, pregnancy and extreme body types can move it by several percent.
What is the formula for cattle weight from heart girth?
Weight in pounds = heart girth × heart girth × body length ÷ 300, with both measurements in inches. In metric, weight in kilograms = girth × girth × length ÷ 10,840, with both measurements in centimeters.
Where do I measure heart girth on a cow?
Around the chest, immediately behind the front legs and the point of the shoulder, with the tape vertical and snug against the hide.