American beef cuts
The American beef cut catalogue, organized by primal. Native USDA naming for ribeye, strip, tenderloin, brisket, sirloin, picanha and the rest, with grading context and cut-by-cut guides.
American beef butchery is the most globally exported cut vocabulary on the planet. The USDA primal system divides the carcass into eight large cuts (chuck, rib, short loin, sirloin, round, brisket, plate, flank, plus the shank), and each primal is broken down into the retail cuts most American shoppers recognize: ribeye, strip steak, tenderloin, T-bone, sirloin, brisket, flank steak, skirt steak, short rib.
The USDA grading system rates carcass quality on marbling and maturity at the ribeye cross-section between the 12th and 13th ribs. Prime is the top tier (about 11 percent of US production), Choice is the workhorse (about 72 percent), and Select is the leaner everyday tier (about 13 percent). Most regional cut names below are the standard US trade names; alternates from other markets are noted where they matter.
Buyers in this market reference the USDA grade. MeatGrader scores American beef on its own universal scale and shows that grade only as a courtesy translation.