Australian vs American beef cuts are mostly the same muscles under different names, but three names (porterhouse, sirloin and rump) point to different steaks in each country.
This guide sets the two official naming systems side by side.
It covers a translation table, the false friends that trip people up, and the US recipe terms worth swapping for Australian cuts.
Pairings follow MLA and USDA references, and cuts that Cost Cut Meats stocks show a current price.
Why Australian and American Beef Cut Names Differ
The names differ because each country breaks the carcass down its own way and publishes its own official cut names.
In Australia, cut names and numbers come from AUS-MEAT's Handbook of Australian Meat, and Meat and Livestock Australia's primal cuts poster lists the main beef primals with their handbook numbers, such as cube roll 2243 and striploin 2143.
In the United States, the USDA's Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) for fresh beef do the same job for American buyers, with item numbers such as 112 for the ribeye roll and 180 for the strip loin.
The carcass splits do not line up either. American butchers cut a short loin and a sirloin section, while Australian butchers separate the striploin, tenderloin and rump. Australian names also follow British butchery, which is why topside, silverside and rump read oddly in a US recipe.
One muscle can also carry two names. The US flat iron steak is the top blade with its centre tendon removed, the same muscle Australians buy as oyster blade.
The Australian beef cuts chart shows where each primal sits on the carcass.
Australian vs American Beef Cuts: The Translation Table
Most beef cuts translate one to one once you match the muscle, and the table pairs each Australian name with its US equivalent.
Handbook numbers come from the MLA poster, and US names and item numbers from IMPS Series 100 (November 2014 edition). Prices are full box, prices checked 18 October 2026.
| Australian name (handbook no.) | US name (IMPS no.) | Where it comes from | At Cost Cut Meats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cube roll (2243), scotch fillet | Ribeye roll (112), ribeye steak (1112) | Rib | Stocked: AMG A Budget scotch cube roll, $39/kg |
| Striploin (2143), porterhouse, sirloin | Strip loin (180), strip loin or New York strip steak (1180) | Loin | Stocked: AMG porterhouse, $32/kg |
| Tenderloin (2150), eye fillet | Tenderloin (189), filet mignon | Loin | Stocked: AMG tenderloin, $45/kg |
| OP rib, bone-in rib eye | Rib, oven-prepared (107), bone-in ribeye | Rib | Stocked: Roam bone-in Wagyu ribeye steaks, $77/kg |
| T-bone, from the short loin (1552) | T-bone steak (1174), porterhouse steak (1173) | Short loin | Not stocked |
| Rump (2090) | Top sirloin butt (184) | Hindquarter, behind the loin | Stocked: AMG whole rump, $26/kg |
| Rump cap (2091), picanha | Top sirloin butt cap (184D), coulotte | Top of the rump | Stocked: AMG rump cap, $28/kg |
| Tri tip (2131) | Bottom sirloin butt, tri-tip (185D) | Lower rump | Not sold separately |
| Topside (2000) | Top (inside) round (168) | Inside of the hind leg | Not stocked |
| Silverside: outside flat (2050) and eye round (2040) | Bottom (gooseneck) round (170), eye of round (171C) | Outside of the hind leg | Not stocked |
| Knuckle (2070) | Sirloin tip, knuckle (167) | Front of the hind leg | Not stocked |
| Shin, shank (2360) | Foreshank (117), shank | Lower legs | Not stocked |
| Chuck (2261), chuck roll (2276) | Chuck roll (116A), chuck roast | Forequarter | Not stocked |
| Oyster blade (2303) | Top blade (114D), flat iron steak | Shoulder blade | Not stocked |
| Brisket point end (2332), navel end (2340) | Brisket (118) | Lower chest | Not stocked |
| Short ribs | Short ribs (123) | Rib and chuck | Not stocked |
| Flank steak (2210) | Flank steak (193) | Belly | Not stocked |
| Hanger | Hanging tender (140) | Next to the diaphragm | Not stocked |
| Mince | Ground beef (136) | Trim from many primals | Not stocked |
| Gravy beef, diced chuck | Beef for stewing (135A) | Stewing cuts | Not stocked |
Ribeye causes the most questions, because Australian shops label steaks from the cube roll as both rib eye and scotch fillet.
The thin belly cuts are just as easy to mix up, and flank, skirt and hanger each have their own Australian names and uses.
False Friends: Porterhouse, Sirloin and Rump
Porterhouse, sirloin and rump send Australians to the wrong steak in US recipes, because each name points to a different cut in each country.
In Australia, porterhouse is the boneless striploin steak. In the US, IMPS defines a porterhouse steak (1173) as a bone-in short loin steak whose tenderloin is at least 3.2cm wide, while a T-bone (1174) needs only 13mm. An American porterhouse is what Australians would call a large T-bone, and the gap between Australian and American porterhouse is the most common mix-up of all.
Australian sirloin is another name for that same striploin. American sirloin is a different section, the top and bottom sirloin behind the short loin, which sits over what Australians call rump.
So when a US recipe asks for top sirloin, buy rump. IMPS places the gluteus medius, the main muscle of the Australian rump, in its top sirloin butt (184). Some guides map rump to US round instead, but round is the hind leg, which Australians split into topside, silverside and knuckle.
The fat-capped muscle on top, sold as picanha or top sirloin cap, is the same cut in both countries and roasts well whole.
Translating US Recipe Terms: Pot Roast, Ground Beef, Prime Rib and More
Most US recipe terms describe a cooking style or a group of cuts, so match the method to an Australian cut. The table covers the terms that most often stall Australian cooks.
| US recipe term | What to buy in Australia | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ground beef | Mince | The same product |
| Stew meat | Gravy beef or diced chuck | For slow-cooked cubes |
| Pot roast | Chuck, blade or bolar blade roast | Braised in liquid |
| Prime rib or standing rib roast | Bone-in rib roast | Not stocked as a primal; Roam bone-in Wagyu ribeye steaks are the stocked bone-in rib cut |
| Corned beef | Corned silverside | US corned beef is usually brisket |
| Tri tip | Tri tip | Same name; ask a butcher who breaks down whole rumps |
Convert quantities as you shop: 1lb is 454g, 8oz is 227g and 1 inch is 2.54cm. For oven temperatures, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit figure, multiply by five and divide by nine, and check steak doneness in Celsius with a probe thermometer rather than by timing alone.
USDA Grades vs MSA and Marble Score
US Prime, Choice and Select are USDA quality grades, listed in IMPS, and they do not map one to one onto Australian grading. Here, MSA grades eating quality as 3, 4 or 5 star, and marbling is scored separately on the AUS-MEAT marble score.
Conclusion
Match the muscle, not the label, and most US cuts have a clear Australian equal.
Watch the three false friends: porterhouse, sirloin and rump.
When a recipe calls for ribeye, strip loin or tenderloin, Cost Cut Meats' premium beef cuts arrive chilled, never frozen, to every state and territory except the NT.
