Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-05-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-18

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons made due to limited comparable sales. Active buyer participation on light to moderate offering of average quality cattle.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $390.99/cwt on 5 head, up $6.08 from the prior sale (only 12 head in that comparison). That ranks 13 of 14 comparable sales and sits +22.63 against this barn's trailing median of $368.36.

Average price

$390.99

▲ 6.08 vs prior sale

5 head · 525 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,053

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$314

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

$76.24/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+18.53

vs SC average

−27.27 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	520	406.24	2,112	4thin
Medium and Large 3	545	330.00	1,799	1thin

One grade step is worth $76.24/cwt here — about $314 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

14 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $404.13, low $314.67, median $368.36 across 14 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 sale5 hd

390.99

—

SC average6 barns · 126 hd

372.47

+18.53

National average175 barns · 12,602 hd

418.26

−27.27

This barn, trailing median14 sales

368.36

+22.63

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
Bulls	—	High	1,922	207.33	3,985	3thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,289	184.41	2,377	6thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,080	176.57	1,907	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,040	165.22	1,718	4thin

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
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,150	$2,000	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	903	$4,009	8
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	900	$3,925	2thin
Stock Cows	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,195	$2,127	2thin
Stock Cows	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	920	$1,546	1thin

Every lot, as filed

57 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 1	450–500	484	411.25/cwt	410.00–415.00	1,990	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	378	451.54/cwt	445.00–460.00	1,707	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	480	472.42/cwt	470.00–475.00	2,268	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	717	333.37/cwt	330.00–335.00	2,390	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	472	488.20/cwt	480.00–495.00	2,304	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	615	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,583	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	235	550.00/cwt	550.00–550.00	1,293	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	406.24/cwt	400.00–410.00	2,112	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	250–300	280	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	1,386	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	2,523	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	355	500.00/cwt	480.00–520.00	1,775	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 2	—	820	3,950.00/head	3,950.00–3,950.00	3,950	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 2	—	775	4,050.00/head	4,050.00–4,050.00	4,050	1
Bred Cows	Small 1	—	1,150	2,000.00/head	2,000.00–2,000.00	2,000	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	545	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,425	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	275	550.00/cwt	550.00–550.00	1,513	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,040	165.22/cwt	162.00–170.00	1,718	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,289	184.41/cwt	180.00–188.00	2,377	6
Bulls	—	—	1,838	212.00/cwt	212.00–212.00	3,897	2
Bulls	—	—	2,090	198.00/cwt	198.00–198.00	4,138	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,080	176.57/cwt	174.00–180.00	1,907	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	730	3,700.00/head	3,700.00–3,700.00	3,700	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	974	4,127.66/head	4,000.00–4,250.00	4,128	4
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	913	3,906.30/head	3,800.00–4,000.00	3,906	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	920	1,546.00/head	1,546.00–1,546.00	1,546	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,195	2,126.89/head	2,118.00–2,136.00	2,127	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	200–250	245	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	907	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	545	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,799	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	328	344.92/cwt	335.00–355.00	1,131	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	372	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,674	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	847	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,118	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	980	3,900.00/head	3,900.00–3,900.00	3,900	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	500–550	505	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,919	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	378	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,701	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	400–450	445	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,891	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	350–400	360	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,494	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	405	366.28/cwt	365.00–370.00	1,483	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	250–300	285	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,083	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	300	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,350	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	227	496.03/cwt	480.00–510.00	1,126	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	375	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,631	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Value Added	450–500	486	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,309	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	645	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,613	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	330	371.70/cwt	355.00–390.00	1,227	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	200–250	223	504.49/cwt	500.00–510.00	1,125	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,064	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	410	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,804	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	420	452.68/cwt	445.00–460.00	1,901	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	490	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,960	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	680	269.85/cwt	260.00–280.00	1,835	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	465.00/cwt	450.00–480.00	2,418	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,006	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,604	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	433	464.91/cwt	460.00–470.00	2,013	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	735	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,985	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	433	416.73/cwt	410.00–420.00	1,804	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	302	530.00/cwt	530.00–530.00	1,601	2

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 →