Buying guides
Beef Boxes and Buying in Bulk
Buying beef in bulk means paying less per pound by buying closer to the whole animal — a curated box, or a quarter, half, or whole beef. A box is the easy on-ramp: it fits a normal freezer, arrives frozen, and you know the exact price before you order. That's the way we sell at 1876 Heritage Farms.
How much freezer space does bulk beef take?
The rule of thumb used across beef extension guides is roughly one cubic foot of freezer space per 35–40 lb of packaged beef. A typical kitchen fridge-freezer holds one of our boxes with room to spare; a small chest freezer (around 5 cubic feet) comfortably holds a quarter beef.
What do the terms hanging weight and take-home weight mean?
If you shop quarters and halves anywhere, you'll meet three numbers. Live weight is the animal on the hoof. Hanging weight (or dressed weight) is after initial processing — typically around 60% of live weight. Take-home weight is the packaged cuts in your freezer — commonly 60–67% of hanging weight, depending how much is left bone-in. When comparing prices between farms, always ask which weight the price is per pound of; the same beef can sound cheap or dear depending on the denominator.
What does a beef box cost?
A box has none of that ambiguity — the price you see is the take-home price.
Every box price on this site is computed server-side and is exactly what we charge — what you see is what you pay.
Should I buy one box or subscribe?
Both use the same builder. A one-time box is the right first order — see how your household actually eats through it. If a box lasts you about a month, the 4-week rhythm fits; if it stretches further, choose 8 weeks. You can skip a delivery, pause, or cancel anytime, with no penalty and no dark-pattern hoops — the subscription exists to save you remembering, not to trap you.
How does delivery work for a heavy frozen box?
Same as everything we sell: order by Sunday 11:59 PM, we pack Wednesday, and it arrives Thursday — frozen, insulated, at your door. Delivery is $12 in the GTA, $18 across the rest of Ontario, and free over $250 (which most boxes clear). Farm pickup in Oro-Medonte is always free.