Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-04-06
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-04-06

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons due to limited comparable sales. Light offering of average quality cattle with active buyer participation.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $498.38/cwt on 19 head, up $96.10 from the prior sale (only 11 head in that comparison). That ranks 9 of 9 comparable sales and sits +90.06 against this barn's trailing median of $408.32.

Average price

$498.38

▲ 96.10 vs prior sale

19 head · 512 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,553

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$768

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 3

$155.37/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+45.76

vs SC average

+7.55 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	508	520.00	2,639	16thin
Medium and Large 2	585	420.00	2,457	1thin
Medium and Large 3	513	364.63	1,871	2thin

One grade step is worth $155.37/cwt here — about $768 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

9 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $498.38, low $337.86, median $408.32 across 9 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale19 hd

498.38

—

SC average6 barns · 105 hd

452.62

+45.76

National average167 barns · 10,529 hd

490.83

+7.55

This barn, trailing median9 sales

408.32

+90.06

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,172	186.36	2,184	6thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	974	173.16	1,687	5thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	906	152.29	1,380	5thin

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Stock Cows	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,070	$2,275	2thin

Every lot, as filed

60 lots · USDA AMS · Saluda Stockyards - Saluda, SC

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	605	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	2,027	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	638	412.50/cwt	412.50–412.50	2,632	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	265	590.00/cwt	590.00–590.00	1,564	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	250–300	280	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	1,400	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	690	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,915	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	518	420.03/cwt	410.00–430.00	2,176	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	528	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,940	2
Steers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	300	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	975	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,167	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	605	362.50/cwt	362.50–362.50	2,193	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	340	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	1,785	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	300–350	347	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	1,943	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	360	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	1,944	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	412	545.00/cwt	545.00–545.00	2,245	12
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	445	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	2,136	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	585	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,457	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	513	364.63/cwt	350.00–380.00	1,871	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	805	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	2,093	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	355	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,136	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	660	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,541	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	545	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,425	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	500–550	505	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	2,651	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	600–650	620	447.50/cwt	447.50–447.50	2,775	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	800–850	835	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,630	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	715	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,753	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	545	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	2,643	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	569	451.58/cwt	447.50–460.00	2,569	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	638	423.99/cwt	422.50–430.00	2,705	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Value Added	550–600	568	462.50/cwt	462.50–462.50	2,627	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	450–500	475	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,995	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	968	167.45/cwt	167.00–168.00	1,621	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	865	142.18/cwt	130.00–155.00	1,230	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,172	186.36/cwt	184.00–187.00	2,184	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	850	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	1,369	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,005	176.20/cwt	172.00–182.00	1,771	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,075	2,553.13/head	2,553.13–2,553.13	2,553	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,065	1,996.88/head	1,996.88–1,996.88	1,997	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	485	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,377	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	570	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,280	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	358	362.48/cwt	360.00–365.00	1,298	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	530	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,279	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	405	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	1,863	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	250–300	280	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,316	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	527	337.09/cwt	320.00–345.00	1,776	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	500–550	525	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,601	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	650–700	650	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,853	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	705	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,397	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	628	304.94/cwt	300.00–310.00	1,915	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	420	502.59/cwt	500.00–505.00	2,111	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	770	262.50/cwt	262.50–262.50	2,021	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,848	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	594	362.45/cwt	355.00–370.00	2,153	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	420	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,974	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	695	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,155	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	373	464.03/cwt	460.00–465.00	1,731	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	600–650	605	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,360	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	550	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,255	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	380	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,520	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	275	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,100	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	415	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,743	1

How this sale compares

South Carolina weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every South Carolina auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

South Carolina feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →