The lean primal off the back leg, roughly 22 percent of carcass weight. Inside round, outside round, eye of round, and knuckle. Workhorse of roast beef, deli, export, and lean grind. Live USDA AMS prices for every round sub-primal, updated every business day.
Source: USDA AMS National Daily Boxed Beef Cutout, Negotiated Sales (LM_XB403). Click any row for the full chart, multi-year history, and seasonal context.
About the beef round
The round comes off the back leg of the carcass and carries roughly 22 percent of the weight, making it one of the two largest beef primals alongside the chuck. The major sub-primals are the inside round (top inside, IMPS 168), the outside round (flat, IMPS 171B), the eye of round (IMPS 171C), the bottom gooseneck (IMPS 171), and the knuckle (IMPS 167A). Round is the leanest primal of the carcass and the one most often substituted into Select-grade programs.
Round sub-primals flow into a different demand mix than middle meats. Inside rounds anchor roast beef sandwich programs, retail oven-roast cases, and export. Eye of round and knuckle move into deli and roast applications. Outside round and gooseneck pieces flow into corned beef, jerky, and lower-fat ground formulations. Because the round is large and demand is fragmented across many channels, no single channel dominates round pricing the way steakhouse demand dominates loin pricing.
The round prints daily in the USDA AMS National Daily Boxed Beef Cutout report (LM_XB403) under both Choice and Select grades. Round is also the primal where the Choice/Select spread runs the narrowest of any major primal, because the demand applications (roasting, deli, export) put a smaller premium on marbling than the steak programs that pull rib and loin.
Frequently asked
What is the most valuable cut from the beef round?
Round, Top Inside, Cap Off is the highest-priced round sub-primal at $5.61/lb Choice as of 2026-08-27, from the USDA AMS National Daily Boxed Beef Cutout report (LM_XB403).
What's driving beef round prices today?
Average $4.44/lb across 7 Choice sub-primals Composite is down 2.1% week over week and running 11.2% above its usual level for this time of year.
How do Choice and Select round prices differ?
Choice round cuts trade at a premium to Select that reflects the marbling preference of steak and premium retail programs. The Choice/Select spread varies by sub-primal: it runs widest on the demand-driven steak cuts and narrows on the value-end cuts that move on supply. Both grades print daily on the USDA AMS LM_XB403 report.
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