What Size Meat Grinder Do You Need? #5 to #32, Sized by Season

For one or two deer a season, a #8 is enough. For three to five, buy a #12. For six or more, or a half beef split with family, step up to a #22, and go to a #32 only if you grind for a group. The size number describes the plate and head, not the motor: LEM's #8 plates measure 2-3/8 inches across, its #10/12 plates 2-3/4 inches, its #20/22 plates 3-1/4 inches and its #32 plates 3-7/8 inches.

That is the short version, and it is the one most buyers need. The rest of this page shows where each piece comes from: plate diameters from the maker's own parts pages, motor ratings and output claims from the listings of grinders on sale now, and the season tiers from a published Ohio Division of Wildlife yield study. We haven't bench-tested these machines. What follows is spec math you can redo with your own deer and your own scale.

What the size number actually measures

Grinder size numbers are a head-and-plate standard. The higher the number, the wider the plate the auger pushes meat through, and a wider plate gives the meat more open area to leave the head. That is why output climbs with size inside a single maker's lineup: LEM rates its BigBite #5 at about 4 lb a minute, the #8 at about 7, the #12 at about 11, the #22 at up to 13 and the #32 at up to 17. The motors climb too (0.35 HP on the #5 up to 1.5 HP on the #32), so size and motor move together on most electrics, but they are separate specs and you should read both.

Two pairs share plates. LEM sells a single #10/12 plate family at 2-3/4 inches and a single #20/22 family at 3-1/4 inches, so in LEM's catalog a #10 and a #12 take the same plate, as do a #20 and a #22. In the lineup we track, #10 shows up only on clamp-on hand grinders from LEM and Weston. The electric sizes you will actually shop are #8, #12, #22 and #32, with #5 as a compact outlier.

Don't treat the number as a guarantee of fit, though. Parts from different makers vary: STX lists the plates for its #12 Turboforce at 2-5/8 inches, an eighth of an inch under LEM's figure, and one aftermarket twin-pack of #12 knives says outright that it does not fit the LEM #12 or the Cabela's #12. Before you order plates or knives, measure the plate you already own.

Meat grinder size chart: plate, motor and season tier

Here is every size with the motors and rated outputs printed on the grinders currently for sale, and the season tier each one fits. Output is the maker's own lb-per-minute figure.

Plate diameters come from LEM's parts pages. Motor and output figures come from the maker-supplied copy on each model's Amazon listing, except the LEM BigBite #12, which LEM sells direct rather than on Amazon; its 0.75 HP and "approximately 11 lbs. per minute" come from LEM's own product page. Weston's Amazon titles leave out the size numbers of its Pro Series, so we took those (#8, #12, #22) from a restaurant-supply spec listing. All sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

#5 and #8: the Light tier

LEM describes its BigBite #8 as "ideal for small to medium batches," and that matches a Light season. One deer at the Ohio average is 52 lb of venison; two is 104 lb. The BigBite #8 does about 7 lb a minute on a 0.5 HP motor, and LEM's aluminum MightyBite #8 does 4 to 5 lb a minute on 500 watts. Either one will get through that volume. The difference between them is build and warranty, which we cover in the materials section below. For a one-deer season, a hand grinder is still an honest answer, and our setup for 1-2 deer builds a full Light-season kit around the grinder. The #5 is smaller again: LEM positions it for "occasional use," so we'd only pick it if counter space is the hard limit.

#12: the Moderate tier

Three to five deer is 157 to 261 lb of venison before you add any fat. That is where a #12 earns its place: 0.75 to 1 HP, a wider 2-3/4-inch plate and, on LEM's BigBite #12, a 2.25-inch opening into the head. The #12 is also the smallest size LEM says can grind raw chicken bones (slowly), which tells you where LEM itself draws the line for heavier work. If you already own an #8 and are weighing the jump, our LEM BigBite #8 vs #12 comparison runs the numbers side by side, and the setup for 3-5 deer builds the whole processing line around a #12.

#22 and #32: the Heavy tier

Six deer at the Ohio average is 313 lb, and a Heavy season can run well past that. LEM calls its #22 "ideal for medium to large batches" and rates it at up to 13 lb a minute on 1.0 HP; MEAT! quotes 11 to 14 lb a minute for its 1 HP #22, and Weston puts 1.5 HP behind its Pro #22 for 14 lb a minute. The #32 adds another half horsepower over the LEM and MEAT! #22s and a 3-7/8-inch plate for 17 to 18 lb a minute, which makes sense when a camp or a family pools several animals into one grinding day. When a #12 stops being enough is the whole question of our LEM BigBite #12 vs #22 comparison, and the setup for 6+ deer sizes the rest of a Heavy line.

The pounds-per-season math

Every tier on this site comes from one published number. Ohio Division of Wildlife staff weighed 115 field-dressed whitetails from the 2017 gun season, butchered them and weighed the venison. The average deer weighed 107.56 lb field-dressed and yielded 52.19 lb of venison, a 48.52% yield (Ohio DNR, Venison Meat Yield). Antlered deer averaged 62.51 lb and antlerless deer 45.05 lb. The same report points out that shot placement and the effort and skill put into butchering change the yield, so if you have weighed your own, use your number.

Now set that against rated output. To keep the comparison fair we use one maker's lineup, LEM's BigBite #8, #12 and #22, so the lb-per-minute figures were measured the same way, whatever way that is:

Read those minutes as a floor, not a forecast. LEM's own manual tells you to feed slowly, let the grinder do the work, and stop between passes to clear sinew out of the head, so a real session runs longer. The table also assumes every pound becomes burger; if you keep backstraps and roasts whole, your load is lower. What the table does show is the ratio: for the same five-deer season, the #8 needs nearly twice the motor time of the #22. None of these three grinders publishes a duty cycle, so you can't look up how long each is meant to run before it needs a rest. Fewer minutes per season is the safer side of that unknown, and it is why we move people up a size once the season passes about 104 lb.

Horsepower, watts and the peak-watt trap

The mistake upgraders make most often is shopping on the biggest wattage number on the box. STX's own listing for its Turboforce 3000 explains the gap better than we could: the grinder has "a Locked Motor Wattage of 3000 Watts" but "Normally Uses between 800 Watts & 1200 Watts" while grinding. That running figure sits in the same band Weston prints for its rated motors: 560 watts on the 0.75 HP Pro #8, 750 watts on the 1 HP Pro #12 and 1,120 watts on the 1.5 HP Pro #22. A 3000 W headline on a #12 head is a stall figure, not a sign the grinder is three times as strong as a 1 HP #12.

Output claims don't line up across brands either. STX rates the Turboforce 3000 at 180 to 240 lb per hour, which is 3 to 4 lb a minute, and its stainless-housed HD 3500 at 260 to 300 lb per hour. LEM rates its 0.75 HP BigBite #12 at about 11 lb a minute. None of these makers says how the figure is measured, so compare lb per minute within one maker's lineup with more confidence than across brands.

Beyond horsepower, these are the published specs we weigh, because they speak to a grinder that keeps running through a long day:

• Gearing: LEM lists "all metal gears with roller bearings" on the BigBite #12; Weston lists metal gears even on its aluminum-bodied #12 electric.
• Protection and cooling: LEM lists a built-in circuit breaker on the BigBite #12 and the MightyBite #8. Weston says its Pro Series motors are air cooled and built to "continuously grind bulk loads of meat without stopping."
• Reverse: Weston's Pro #22 has a forward-reverse mode it pitches for "meats with connective tissue," and its #12 electric has a reverse function that "helps to prevent jams."
• Warranty: LEM backs the stainless BigBite grinders for five years and the aluminum MightyBite #8 for two, per their listings. Weston's #12 Pro Series is listed with a five-year warranty on the spec listing we cite.

Stainless steel vs aluminum grinders

At the same size number, the choice between stainless and aluminum mostly comes down to weight and how the grinder is built around it. LEM sells both kinds of #8, which makes a clean comparison. The MightyBite #8 is "durable aluminum construction," weighs 16.5 lb in its listing, runs 4 to 5 lb a minute and carries a two-year warranty. The BigBite #8 is a stainless build at 32.6 lb, about 7 lb a minute, with a five-year warranty. Weston's split at #12 is similar: the #12 electric has a "die-cast aluminum body" and grinds 4 to 5 lb a minute, while the stainless Pro #12 is rated at 6 to 9. STX uses a polished aluminum grinding head on its Turboforce models, even the HD 3500, whose housing is brushed stainless. MEAT! goes the other way and calls its grinders stainless "down to the last bolt."

The care rules differ. LEM's manual for the aluminum MightyBite #8 says to hand-wash the parts in warm soapy water, not to soak them, and not to put them in the dishwasher ("discoloration may occur"), then to dry them immediately and coat the knife and plates with food-grade silicone spray. Stainless doesn't excuse you from drying: even a stainless replacement plate set from BOLEXINO suggests a little vegetable oil to keep rust off. And whichever you buy, the prep is the same: Bass Pro's advice to chill the knife, auger and head in the freezer before you grind applies to both.

What else changes with size

• Weight. Listing weights run from 16.5 lb (LEM MightyBite #8) and 32.6 lb (LEM BigBite #8) to 49.6 lb for LEM's #22, 62.6 lb for MEAT!'s #22, 64.75 lb for LEM's #32 and 75.3 lb for MEAT!'s #32. A #22 or #32 wants a permanent spot on a sturdy bench rather than a trip out of the cupboard every Saturday.
• Bones. LEM says only its #12 BigBite or larger can grind raw chicken bones, and the #12 needs a slower feed than the #22 or #32. The BigBite #8 and MightyBite #8 listings both say "not for bones," and STX says its Turboforce heads will not grind bones. LEM's bone claim covers raw chicken bones only.
• Throat. A bigger head takes bigger pieces. LEM lists a 2.25-inch head opening on the BigBite #12; STX lists a 2-1/8-inch hopper opening on the Turboforce 3000 and a 2-inch feed tube on the HD 3500. Bigger pieces mean less cutting time at the trim table.
• Plates and parts. LEM sells 3 mm to 12 mm plates for every size from #8 up, but tops out at 10 mm for the #5. We found replacement plate and knife sets for #12 and #22 from several makers, which matters when a knife goes dull mid-season.

One grinder per season tier

With the size settled, these are the picks we'd start from, one per tier. Each is a stainless build with the maker's horsepower and lb-per-minute figures published, which is what lets us place it in a tier at all.

Wondering why the #12 slot isn't LEM's BigBite #12? It's sold direct by LEM rather than on Amazon (0.75 HP, about 11 lb a minute and a five-year warranty on LEM's page), so we point Moderate buyers to the MEAT! #12 and the Weston Pro #12, which are. For the full ranked list with a Best-for column on every pick, see our best meat grinders for deer.