Cap and wedge meat and pectoral meat are two lean pieces USDA prices every day on its boxed beef report. One comes off the rib, the other off the chuck.
| Cap and wedge meat | Pectoral meat | |
|---|---|---|
| USDA spec | IMPS 109B, rib, blade meat | IMPS 115D, chuck, pectoral meat |
| Where it comes from | Around the blade bone of the rib | The chuck, after the brisket comes off |
| Median print, 5 years | 387¢/lb | 394¢/lb |
| Loads, last 12 months | about 740 | about 510 |
Cap and wedge meat
USDA's spec calls it rib blade meat. It is the muscles just below and just above the blade bone of the rib, with every bone and cartilage taken out and the lean trimmed practically free of fat. The spec says it is often called lifter meat or cap and wedge meat.
Pectoral meat
Pectoral meat is the deep pectoral muscle that stays in the chuck after the brisket is taken off. It is cut out along its natural seams. It is the same muscle as the brisket flat: USDA's spec makes the flat from that one muscle inside the brisket, and pectoral meat is the part of it left in the chuck.
How they price
The two print close together. Over the five years to October 2026, their medians were 387 and 394 cents a pound. Pectoral meat printed higher on 61 percent of the days both printed, and on a typical day the two sat about 13 cents apart, in either direction.
Both price above fresh 90 percent lean trim nearly every day. Cap and wedge printed over the fresh 90s on 96 percent of shared days, by a median of 16 percent. Pectoral meat did on 93 percent, by a median of 17 percent.
Pectoral meat also ran a median 5 percent over boneless deckle-off brisket, and it was higher on 70 percent of days.
Both have climbed with the rest of the beef market. Their yearly medians were near 330 cents in 2022 and near 470 cents in 2026.