A carcass grade is an assessment of quality for a culled cow or bull.
The various grades are defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, and assessments are based primarily on the fatness of the cow to be culled.
[1] Cows are culled from herds for a variety of reasons, including poor production, age, or health problems.
[2] A carcass grade (or expected carcass grade) is used to determine selling prices for cull cows, which are estimated to comprise 20% of the beef available to consumers in the United States.
[1] The most common BCS in America assigns a score between 1 and 9 based on the animal's fat content and body condition.