How many pounds of meat will my freezer hold?

We just started offering bulk lamb, available in halves and wholes, and we’re looking to start adding quarters and halves of beef soon. Planning for a large quantity of meat can be difficult. There’s always a fear that there won’t be enough space. If you’re thinking of investing in a chest freezer or standing freezer, or maybe you’re trying to figure out how much can fit in your refrigerator freezer, here’s a quick guide to help figure out how many pounds of meat your freezer can hold.

The rule of thumb is: 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 35 – 40 pounds of packaged meat. 

This 27.8 cu ft. refrigerator has a freezer capacity of about 9 cubic feet. You could fit roughly 270lb of frozen food.

That’s a 1/4 cow, 1 whole lamb, and a quarter of a pig!

Yeah, that is a fancy refrigerator. How about folks with a classic top freezer refrigerator? Your freezer can hold more meat than you think!

Here’s a classic refrigerator. How much meat can it hold?

An 18 cu. ft. top freezer refrigerator has a freezer of 4 cubic feet. That means you can hold at least 140 pounds of frozen food.

It is equivalent to a quarter cow and half a lamb!

Hopefully this helps you decide how many pounds of meat your freezer will hold!