UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1464 
Washington, D. C. 
Issued January 1927 
Slightly revised August 1940 
MARKET CLASSES AND GRADES OF CATTLE 
By 
DON J. SLATER, Marketing Specialist 
Agricultural Marketing Service 
CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction 1 
Systems of Standard Market Classes and Grades of Live- 
stock 2 
Basis for Standard Market Classes and Grades of Cattle . . 3 
Classifying and Grading Cattle 3 
Market Uses of Cattle 5 
Slaughter Cattle 5 
Definition of Slaughter Cattle 5 
Slaughter Cattle Schedule 6 
Definition of Terms 7 
Classes of Slaughter Cattle 12 
Relative Importance of Market Classes of Slaughter 
Cattle 13 
Age-Selection Groups of Slaughter Cattle 16 
Weight-Selection Groups of Slaughter Cattle 17 
Grades of Slaughter Cattle 17 
Slaughter Cattle Grading Chart 18 
Page 
Slaughter Cattle— Continued. 
Grades of Slaughter Steers 25 
Grades of Slaughter Heifers 35 
Grades of Slaughter Cows 44 
Grades of Slaughter Bulls 51 
Grades of Slaughter Stags 57 
Feeder and Stocker Cattle 60 
Definitions of Feeders and Stockers 60 
Feeder and Stocker Cattle Schedule 61 
Basis for Classifying and Grading 61 
Grades of Feeder and Stocker Cattle 61 
Feeder and Stocker Cattle Grading Chart 63 
Grades of Feeder and Stocker Steers 66 
Grades of Feeder and Stocker Heifers 75 
Grades of Feeder and Stocker Cows 80 
Grades of Feeder and Stocker Bulls 84 
Grades of Feeder and Stocker Staes 88 
WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1940 
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. 
Price 15 cent; 
