Honey Harvest Yield Calculator
Estimate pounds of honey and jars from the deep, medium, and shallow frames you plan to pull, after cappings loss, with a winter stores check for your climate.
Free · no account · works on mobile · embeddable
Best for beekeepers planning an extraction day, ordering jars, or deciding how much to leave on the hive. Updated .
Frames you plan to pull
Expected harvest
Gross lb = deep frames × lb per deep + medium × lb per medium + shallow × lb per shallow. Bottled = gross × (1 − loss %). Jars = bottled × 16 ÷ jar oz. Frame weights assume fully capped comb; weigh a few frames to calibrate. Not a substitute for checking moisture before bottling.
About the honey harvest yield calculator
Before the extractor comes out, two questions matter: how many jars to have clean, and how much honey the bees need to keep. This calculator estimates the harvest from the capped frames you plan to pull, by frame size, using extension figures for the honey a full frame holds, subtracts a percentage for cappings, extractor, and filter residue, and converts the result into jars of several sizes. It also shows the winter stores your climate calls for so you can see what must stay on the hive.
It is for hobby and sideline beekeepers; commercial yards weigh supers.
Honey per frame
Oklahoma State Extension's honey harvest fact sheet puts a full deep frame at about 6 lb of honey, a medium frame at about 4 lb, and a shallow frame at about 3 lb, so a full 10-frame medium super holds roughly 40 lb. Real frames are lighter when the outer frames are not drawn to the edge or only partly capped. The per-frame weights are editable: weigh a few of your own frames, subtract the empty frame weight, and enter your average.
Bottled honey is frames × lb per frame × (1 − loss %). Five percent is a starting point for the honey that stays in cappings, the extractor, and the strainer; crush-and-strain and partially capped frames lose more.
Leaving enough for winter
Harvest what is above the bees' needs, not what is in the supers. Oklahoma State gives approximately 60 to 70 lb of honey per hive for cold climates and 20 to 30 lb for warm ones; Mississippi State says the ideal is at least 60 to 65 lb of honey or stored syrup above the cluster in late autumn. The calculator shows the total for your hive count and the equivalent in full medium frames. Honey should be near 18% moisture before bottling (Oklahoma State gives 17 to 21%; USDA grade standards cap Grade A at 18.6%); a refractometer settles it.
Worked example: two medium supers across three hives
Three hives give up 20 capped medium frames between them, at 4 lb per frame, so the 20 frames hold 80 lb of honey. A 5% loss to cappings and residue takes 4.0 lb, leaving 76.0 lb of bottled honey, or 25.3 lb per hive. That is 76 jars of 16 oz, or 152 × 8 oz, 101 × 12 oz, or 38 × 32 oz. For cold winters, plan on about 65 lb of stores per hive: 195 lb across the three hives, roughly 48.8 full medium frames that should stay on the colonies.
Sources
- Oklahoma State University Extension, Beekeeping: honey harvest methods, costs and breakeven calculations. Six pounds of honey per deep frame, four per medium, three per shallow; winter needs of about 60 to 70 lb per hive in cold climates and 20 to 30 lb in warm; also notes honey moisture content. Accessed Sep 4, 2026.
- Mississippi State University Extension, Colony growth and seasonal management of honey bees. The ideal is at least 60 to 65 lb of honey or stored syrup above the cluster in late autumn, with at least 30 lb remaining in early spring. Accessed Sep 4, 2026.
This calculator gives planning estimates from the numbers you enter. It is not accounting, tax, veterinary, or legal advice. Replace the defaults with your own farm records whenever you have them.
Frequently asked questions
How much honey is in a medium frame?
About 4 lb when fully drawn and capped, per Oklahoma State Extension, so a full 10-frame medium super holds around 40 lb and an 8-frame about 32 lb. Deep frames hold about 6 lb and shallows about 3 lb. Partially capped or undrawn outer frames pull the average down.
How many jars of honey do I get from a super?
A full 10-frame medium super, about 40 lb, fills roughly 38 pound jars after a 5% extraction loss, or 76 half-pound jars. Weigh a frame or two before you order jars; a light super can be half that.
How much honey should I leave for winter?
Extension figures run about 60 to 70 lb per hive in cold climates and 20 to 30 lb in warm ones. In a Langstroth hive that is roughly a full deep of honey plus some in the brood box for a northern winter. Weigh or heft hives in fall and feed 2:1 syrup if they are short.
Why does my extracted weight come in below the estimate?
Frames were not fully capped, outer frames were light, honey stayed in the cappings and extractor, or the frame weights were assumed rather than measured. Enter your own per-frame average and a higher loss percentage to match your equipment.
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