🍯 Honey Extraction Yield Estimator
Enter the number of frames you're extracting and the average yield per frame to estimate your total honey harvest.
One multiplication, and what to feed it
The estimator does the arithmetic you would do on the back of a hive tool:
total lbs = number of frames × average lbs per frameThe defaults are 20 frames at 4.5 lbs, giving 90.0 lbs. Honey runs about 11.8 lbs to the US gallon, so that harvest is roughly 7.6 gallons - or 90 jars if you are filling 1 lb jars. Blank boxes are read as zero rather than throwing an error, and decimals are allowed in both fields, which is how you enter half a frame.
Picking an average per frame
Comb depth is what moves this number most. For frames drawn out and capped wall to wall:
| Frame depth | Typical capped yield |
|---|---|
| Deep, 9-1/8 in | 6-8 lbs |
| Medium, 6-1/4 in | 4-5 lbs |
| Shallow, 5-3/8 in | 3-4 lbs |
The 4.5 lbs default sits at the top of the medium band. Few real frames are perfect, though: comb that stops short of the bottom bar, or is capped on one side only, weighs well under these figures. Because the tool takes a single average, a super of mixed depths needs you to work out the weighted average first, or run the two depths as separate sums.
Frequently asked questions
How many pounds of honey are in a medium frame?
Around 4 to 5 lbs when the comb is fully drawn and capped across the frame. A deep runs 6 to 8 lbs and a shallow 3 to 4 lbs, but partly capped frames fall well below any of these.
How many gallons is 90 lbs of honey?
About 7.6 US gallons. Honey weighs roughly 11.8 lbs per gallon, so it is noticeably heavier than water - a 5 gallon bucket holds about 60 lbs.
Why did I extract less honey than the estimate?
The estimate is the honey in the frames, and extraction never recovers all of it. Film left on the comb, honey trapped in the cappings you cut off, and frames counted as full that were only partly capped all account for the gap.