How Many Limes in a Pound? Lime Juice per Pound

A pound is 5 to 6 limes about 2 inches across: USDA’s nutrient database weighs the fruit of one at 67 g and counts 16% as peel and seeds. Squeezed, a pound of whole limes gives about 0.47 lb of juice, roughly 7/8 cup (USDA Food Buying Guide). USDA Handbook 102 gives the same 47% average with a range of 38–56%, and the nutrient database gets about 44 g of juice from each lime.

USDA yields for lime

From the USDA Food Buying Guide: how much ready-to-use or cooked product one pound as purchased gives. The figures work the same in metric: 0.47 lb per pound is 0.47 kg per kilogram.

As purchased (USDA description)	Result, as USDA states it	Yield	Source
Limes, fresh; Whole	1 lb AP = 0.47 lb (about 7/8 cup) juice	47%	FBG table

USDA preparation yields for lime (Handbook 102)

From USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 102, Food Yields Summarized by Different Stages of Preparation (1975): the weight left after each step, as a percentage of the weight before it. Percentages work the same in pounds and kilograms.

Before preparation (USDA description)	After preparation	Yield	Range	Item, page
Limes, acid type, whole, raw	Sections without membrane, raw	*57%	—	No. 1427, p. 67
Limes, acid type, whole, raw	Juice	47%	38–56%	No. 1428, p. 67

* USDA based this figure on limited data.

How much is waste

USDA’s nutrient database (SR28, NDB 09159) lists 16% of “Limes, raw” as refuse: peel and seeds.

How much to buy

At 47% (juice):

Ready to use	Buy as purchased
1.00 lb (0.45 kg)	2.13 lb (0.97 kg)
5.00 lb (2.27 kg)	10.6 lb (4.83 kg)
10.0 lb (4.54 kg)	21.3 lb (9.65 kg)
25.0 lb (11.3 kg)	53.2 lb (24.1 kg)

Cost per usable pound

At 47%, the price as purchased becomes, per pound and per kilogram:

Price as purchased	Cost per usable pound
$1.50/lb ($3.31/kg)	$3.19/lb ($7.04/kg)
$2.00/lb ($4.41/kg)	$4.26/lb ($9.38/kg)
$2.50/lb ($5.51/kg)	$5.32/lb ($11.73/kg)

Example prices. Put yours in the food yield calculator.

The MiseKit app

This test is one case. MiseKit remembers all of them.

Yields drift with every supplier, every cutter and every week. Save each test in MiseKit and it holds the result against your standard, flags the case that came in short with what the shortfall cost, and passes the real cost of each cut into your recipes.

Every test kept, by supplier and date
Short cases flagged in dollars, not just percent
Cut costs flow straight into recipe costs

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Run your own numbers

Food yield calculator, set to 47%

Good to know

The USDA figures line up: 0.47 lb of juice per pound is about 213 g, the juice of about 5 limes at 44 g each. For a bar, the 38–56% range in Handbook 102 is the number to watch: at the low end a pound gives about 0.38 lb of juice.

FAQ

How many limes are in a pound?

About 5 to 6 limes 2 inches across. USDA’s nutrient database weighs one at 67 g without its peel and seeds, which are 16% of the lime, so a whole lime weighs about 80 g.

How much juice is in a pound of limes?

About 0.47 lb, roughly 7/8 cup, per the USDA Food Buying Guide.

How many limes do I need for 1 cup of juice?

About 1.1 lb of limes, roughly 6 limes, at the Food Buying Guide’s 7/8 cup of juice per pound.

How many pounds of limes do I need for 1 lb of juice?

About 2.1 lb (1 ÷ 0.47).

How much of a lime is usable as sections?

About 57% of a whole lime as sections without membrane, on limited data in USDA Handbook 102.

Sources

USDA figures are averages; size, grade, trim, ripeness and cooking change them. Weigh your own main items before you cost a menu on them.

Last reviewed October 11, 2026.