Crawfish and seafood boil calculator
Enter your guests to see how many pounds of crawfish (or shrimp or crabs) to order, and the corn, potatoes and sausage for the pot. LSU AgCenter plans 3 to 4 lb of live crawfish per person.
Enter your measurements
More options: Kids · Corn · Potatoes …
- Sacks of crawfish
- 1 sack · 35 lb sack
- Tail meat that gives (approx.)
- 5.3 lb
- Ears of corn
- 10 ears
- Small potatoes
- 3.3 lb
- Smoked sausage
- 2.5 lb
- Seafood per adult
- 3.5 lb
10 adults × 3.5 lb crawfish = 35 lb
35 lb ÷ 35 lb per sack = 1 sack · × 15% tail meat = 5.3 lb
Corn 10 ears · potatoes 3.3 lb · sausage 2.5 lb
- Order live crawfish from a supplier who can tell you the sack weight. LSU AgCenter: keep them alive, moist and cold (42 to 45 °F) and cook as soon as possible; before boiling, inspect them and discard dead crawfish, then wash in several changes of cool water. A straight tail after boiling is not a reliable sign the crawfish was dead — LSU found it can happen to live ones in a crowded pot — so sort before cooking, not after.
- Perishable food should not sit out more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C). Keep hot food at 140 °F (60 °C) or above and cold food at 40 °F (4 °C) or below (USDA FSIS).
Quick answers for common sizes
| Example | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much crawfish for 10 people | 35 lb live (one 35 lb sack) |
| How much shrimp per person for a boil | ½ lb of headless, shell-on shrimp per person |
Seafood and sides by number of guests
| Guests | Seafood to buy | Sacks of crawfish | Ears of corn | Small potatoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 21 lb | 1 sack | 6 ears | 2 lb |
| 10 | 35 lb | 1 sack | 10 ears | 3.3 lb |
| 15 | 53 lb | 2 sacks | 15 ears | 5 lb |
| 20 | 70 lb | 2 sacks | 20 ears | 6.6 lb |
| 30 | 105 lb | 3 sacks | 30 ears | 9.9 lb |
| 50 | 175 lb | 5 sacks | 50 ears | 16.5 lb |
A crawfish boil is planned by the pound of live crawfish, and the rule comes from Louisiana State University’s AgCenter: 3 to 4 pounds of live crawfish per person per meal. The reason it sounds like a lot is that most of a crawfish is shell — LSU puts the tail meat at about 15% of the live weight, so 3½ lb of crawfish is only about half a pound of meat.
Seafood per person for a boil
| Seafood | Per person | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Live crawfish | 3–4 lb (3½ lb used here) | LSU AgCenter |
| Shrimp, heads off, shell on | ½ lb per serving | NC Sea Grant |
| Live crabs | 1–2 lb per serving (1½ lb used here) | NC Sea Grant |
| Corn, potatoes, sausage | 1 ear, ⅓ lb, ¼ lb | planning figures |
seafood (lb) = (guests − ½ × children) × lb per person × appetite sacks = crawfish ÷ sack weight, rounded up tail meat ≈ crawfish × 15%
Worked examples
- How much crawfish for 10 people — one sack, and what goes in the pot with it.
- How much shrimp per person for a boil — a low-country or shrimp boil for a crowd.
Tips for a backyard boil
- Big eaters eat more. Crowds of experienced crawfish eaters go to the top of LSU’s range and beyond — set the appetite to big eaters (about 4⅓ lb each).
- Plan rounds, not one pot. A sack fills a big pot. For two or three sacks, boil in batches and serve each as it comes out.
- Cover the tables. Newspaper or butcher paper, a roll of paper towels per table and a bucket for shells.
- Drinks and ice. Boils are hot, salty and long; plan plenty of water and ice — see the ice calculator.
What you’ll need
- Boil pot with strainer basket (60–80 qt)Premium price
A large aluminum pot with a lift-out basket is what makes a backyard crawfish or seafood boil manageable. Size it to the sack you are cooking.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Outdoor propane burnerMid-range price
A high-pressure outdoor burner brings a big boil pot back up to temperature quickly. Use it outdoors only, on level ground away from the house.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Large coolerPremium price
A big cooler for drinks and ice. A drain plug matters when you are melting 40 lb of ice over an afternoon.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Dinner napkins (bulk)Budget price
Napkins go faster than anything else on the table, especially with wings and barbecue.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How much crawfish per person?
LSU AgCenter plans 3 to 4 lb of live crawfish per person per meal. Seasoned crawfish eaters often eat more; light eaters and kids less.
How many people does a sack of crawfish feed?
LSU AgCenter says one sack serves 10 to 12. Sacks weigh 35 to 45 lb, so that is about 3½ lb per person.
How much meat is in a pound of crawfish?
About 15% of the live weight is tail meat by LSU AgCenter’s figure — roughly 2½ oz per pound. It takes 6 to 7 lb of live crawfish for a pound of peeled tails.
How much shrimp per person for a shrimp boil?
NC Sea Grant plans ½ lb of headless, shell-on shrimp per serving. For a boil where shrimp are the main event, many hosts plan more; set the appetite to big eaters.
Sources
- LSU AgCenter — Enjoying Louisiana Crawfish (Pub. 2353; copy hosted by Texas A&M) (opens in a new tab) — 3–4 lb of live crawfish per person per meal; about 15% tail meat (8–20%); 6–7 lb live per lb of tails; 35–45 lb sacks; one sack serves 10–12; keep live crawfish at 42–45 °F; discard dead crawfish before boiling; a straight tail after boiling does not prove a crawfish was dead; an 18–20 gal pot with about 10 gal of water for a sack.
- NC Sea Grant — Seafood: how much to buy and serve (opens in a new tab) — Per 3½ oz serving: headed shrimp ½ lb; cooked peeled shrimp ¼ lb; live crabs 1–2 lb.
- FoodSafety.gov — Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart (reviewed Dec. 2022; copy hosted by the Virginia Department of Health) (opens in a new tab) — Poultry and stuffing 165 °F (74 °C); pork, beef and raw ham 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest; ground meat 160 °F; leftovers 165 °F (74 °C).