Cattle price per cwt

Most US feeder cattle auction lots are priced per hundredweight (cwt), not per head. One cwt is 100 pounds of live weight. Knowing that unit is the key to reading AMS auction reports and comparing barns.

What price per cwt means

If a lot averages 500 lb and sells at $400 per cwt, each animal is worth about (500 ÷ 100) × 400 = $2,000. Multiply by head count for the rough lot total:

lot value ≈ (weight_avg ÷ 100) × price_avg × head_count

Always check the unit column. Some replacement or specialty lines are priced per head instead of per cwt.

Why auction reports use cwt

Feeder cattle vary a lot in weight. Pricing per 100 lb lets buyers and sellers compare a 450 lb steer to a 650 lb steer on the same scale. USDA AMS livestock auction reports publish those prices as reported by the barn.

How to compare lots

• Match class and grade (e.g. Medium and Large 1 steers).
• Stay in a similar weight band — light calves and heavy feeders are different products.
• Read the unit (Per Cwt / Actual Wt vs per head) before you multiply.
• Note comments such as Unweaned, Fancy, or Thin Fleshed when AMS includes them.

For class, grade, and PDF layout, see how to read cattle auction reports. For feeder cattle weight bands and why lighter calves often print a higher $/cwt, see feeder cattle prices. For slaughter cows and Boner/Breaker grades, see slaughter cattle prices. For replacement lots often priced per head, see replacement cattle prices. For cow-calf pairs (per head, with calf weight in the grade), see cow-calf pair prices. For dairy-area calves and Beef Cross comments, see dairy / beef-cross calf prices. For feeder heifers vs similar-weight steers on $/cwt, see heifer prices. For feeder vs slaughter bulls, see bull prices. For a national weight-band snapshot of feeder steer prices, see feeder steer prices. For lighter feeders bought to graze (often called stockers), see stocker cattle prices. For a state-by-state snapshot of feeder steer prices, see cattle prices by state.

Worked example from a real sale

From Winter Livestock (KS) on Nov 5, 2026, one feeder lot in our API:

{ "auction_name": "Winter Livestock",
  "state": "KS", "report_date": "2026-11-05",
  "category": "FEEDER CATTLE", "class_name": "STEERS",
  "grade": "Medium and Large 1", "head_count": 158,
  "weight_avg": 501, "price_avg": 505,
  "unit": "Per Cwt / Actual Wt", "comments": "Thin Fleshed" }

Reading it: 158 thin-fleshed Medium and Large 1 steers, about 501 lb average, sold at $505 per cwt. Rough lot value: (501 ÷ 100) × 505 × 158 ≈ $399,700. Source: USDA AMS; we are not affiliated with USDA.

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: kl_free_demo_2026" \
  "https://api.kossinlabs.com/v1/prices?class=STEERS&state=KS&weight_min=450&weight_max=550&limit=5"

Pull more lots as JSON

Free demo key (no sign-up): kl_free_demo_2026. Docs: api.kossinlabs.com. Product page: cattle auction prices API. Starter is $29/mo for higher limits — subscribe. 30-day money-back guarantee.