Beef Marble Grading Scale

If you're visiting this blog page you likely know one of the key differences in Wagyu beef vs. other beef is marbling. You may be familiar with beef in the grocery store using terms like, Choice, Prime and Select on the labels. This is the USDA's standard for grading beef. However, Wagyu beef has an entirely different scale. It utilizes what is called the Beef Marbling Scale or BMS. This scale goes from BMS 3-12 and is measuring the meat's intramuscular fat, or what we commonly refer to as marbling. The more marbling the more tender, juicy and rich your beef will be.

Here at KC Cattle Company we made the decision to breakdown select cuts into the following categories, Classified & Top Secret.  Cuts included in our new Wagyu grading scale are Wagyu Ribeye Steaks, Wagyu Strip Steaks, Wagyu Filets, Wagyu Tomahawk Steaks, Wagyu Denver Steaks, Wagyu Tri Tip Roasts, and Wagyu Briskets.

Classified: Cuts will be rated BMS 4-7. These cuts will have significantly more marbling than what you would find in a store bought Prime steak. If you've ordered from us before there is a good chance your steak, brisket or tri tip fell somewhere on the classified scale.

Top Secret: Cuts will be rated BMS 7-11. These cuts will have exceptional marbling and will be our inventory that goes above and beyond what we typically see in the Butcher Shop. 

Check out the image below to see more of the Wagyu BMS scale and our new grading metrics. Questions? Post them below in the comments and we'll answer them.