There is no fixed number, because a bushel measures volume, not oysters. Published working figures run from about 120 oysters per bushel for Louisiana sack oysters to 275 to 300 for a Maryland bushel of three-inch Chesapeake oysters. Two things move the number: how big the oysters are, and which bushel you mean. A Maryland oyster bushel holds about 30 percent more than a standard US bushel.
If you are buying, the practical step is to ask the seller for a count. The rest of this article explains the units and where the figures come from.
Oysters per bushel, peck, and sack
| Unit | Approximate oysters | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana sack (1.5 bushels) | About 180 | Figure used in a Louisiana Sea Grant economic analysis[1] |
| US standard bushel | About 120 | The same Louisiana figure, divided by 1.5 |
| Maryland bushel | 275 to 300 | University of Maryland Extension assumes 275; Maryland's Department of Natural Resources uses a conversion factor of 300[1][2] |
| Virginia bushel | About 330 | Virginia's oyster gardening guide equates 500 adult oysters with a bushel and a half[3] |
| Half of a Maryland bushel | About 140 to 150 | Arithmetic |
| Peck (quarter of a US bushel) | About 30 at the Louisiana rate | Arithmetic |
These are planning figures that agencies and researchers use to convert between bushels and individual oysters. None of them is a legal definition, and none is a promise about what is in a particular container.
The spread between Louisiana and the Chesapeake is partly the size of the container and partly the oysters. Scaled down to a standard US bushel, Maryland's 275 to 300 becomes roughly 210 to 230, which is still well above 120. The rest of the gap reflects the oysters being counted and how rough these estimates are.
How big a bushel is depends on the state
A standard US bushel is a dry volume of 2,150.42 cubic inches, made up of 4 pecks of 537.605 cubic inches each.[4] Oyster states have their own measures, written into law or regulation.
| Unit | Size | Defined in |
|---|---|---|
| US bushel | 2,150.42 cubic inches (4 pecks) | NIST Handbook 44[4] |
| Peck | 537.605 cubic inches (a quarter bushel) | NIST Handbook 44[4] |
| Maryland oyster bushel | 2,800.9 cubic inches, which is 1.3025 times a level US bushel | Maryland Department of Natural Resources; state regulation defines a bushel as what fills the official container[5][6] |
| Virginia oyster bushel | A round metal tub 18½ inches across the top, 17 inches across the bottom, and 21½ inches on the inside diagonal, filled level; or an approved container of 2,500 to 3,000 cubic inches | Code of Virginia § 28.2-526[7] |
| Louisiana sack | 3,225.63 cubic inches: one and a half bushels, or half a barrel | Louisiana Revised Statutes 56:440[8] |
| Louisiana barrel | 6,451.26 cubic inches: about three bushels, or two sacks | Louisiana Revised Statutes 56:440[8] |
| Louisiana mini-sack | 1,075.21 cubic inches: half a bushel, or a third of a sack | Louisiana Fisheries Forward[9] |
| Texas sack | 110 pounds of oysters, including dead shell and the sack itself | Texas Parks and Wildlife[10] |
A few things follow from the table.
Maryland and Virginia bushels are bigger than a US bushel. Maryland's is 2,800.9 cubic inches against 2,150.42, and Virginia's alternative container must hold between 2,500 and 3,000.[5][7] South Carolina, by contrast, sets its recreational oyster limit in US bushels.[11]
Louisiana measures in sacks. A Louisiana sack is one and a half standard bushels. Louisiana oysters can legally be sold by dry volume, by net weight, or by count, and the quantity has to be written on the harvest tag.[9]
Texas defines a sack by weight. That makes a Texas sack and a Louisiana sack different things.
Level or heaped changes the amount. NIST lists a heaped US bushel as 1.278 times a level one.[4] Virginia's statute settles the question for its tubs: the container must be level full across the entire top to count as a full measure.[7]
Why the count varies
Size. Bigger oysters mean fewer per bushel. In Maryland a market oyster is one that measures three inches or more from hinge to bill, and that is a minimum.[5] Florida's farmed oysters, grown mainly for the half-shell market, are sold at about 2.5 to 3 inches.[14] Our guide to oyster grades and sizes covers the size names.
Singles or clumps. On a reef, oysters grow attached to one another.[15] Farmed "singles" are raised as separate animals in bags and cages.[12] A bushel of one is not the same as a bushel of the other.
The container. As the table above shows, a "bushel" in Maryland is about 30 percent larger than a US bushel, and a Louisiana "sack" is 50 percent larger.
Bushels and counts
Oysters for shucking are traded by volume. Oysters for the half shell are sold by the piece.
Maryland's farms show both systems side by side. University of Maryland Extension reports that growers there sell oysters either by the bushel or individually as "singles", and that in 2023 the average price was $63.85 per bushel and about $0.47 per single oyster.[12] The Louisiana Sea Grant analysis describes the same split, with half-shell oysters sold as singles and costed per 100-count box, and lower-priced "sack oysters" sold by volume.[1]
For a home buyer a count is the easier unit: a 100-count box contains 100 oysters. If you are ordering by mail, see how to buy oysters online. For how many to get per person, see how to order oysters, and for what drives the price, why oysters are expensive.
How much meat is in a bushel
For shucking houses the number that matters is yield, not count. A Virginia Sea Grant report gives the industry's grading scale in pints of shucked meat per bushel:[13]
| Pints per bushel | Industry grade |
|---|---|
| 4 | Poor |
| 5 | Below average |
| 6 | Average |
| 7 | Good |
| 8 | Very good |
| 9 to 10 | Exceptional |
For Louisiana, the Sea Grant analysis uses a conversion of 6.47 pounds of meat per sack.[1]
The same report notes that processors traditionally pay premium prices for oysters that yield more meat per bushel, because there is less shell to handle.[13]
Frequently Asked Questions
How many oysters are in a bushel?
It depends on the oysters and the bushel. Working figures used by state agencies and university researchers are about 120 per standard US bushel for Louisiana sack oysters and 275 to 300 per Maryland bushel for three-inch Chesapeake oysters. Larger oysters mean a lower count.
How many oysters are in a peck?
A peck is a quarter of a bushel. At the Louisiana rate that is about 30 oysters. A quarter of a Maryland oyster bushel, which is a larger measure filled with smaller oysters, works out to about 70 to 75.
How many oysters are in a sack?
A Louisiana sack is one and a half bushels, and a Louisiana Sea Grant analysis uses 180 oysters per sack. A Texas sack is defined differently, as 110 pounds including dead shell and the sack.
How many oysters are in a half bushel?
About 140 to 150 for half of a Maryland bushel of three-inch oysters, and about 60 for half of a US bushel at the Louisiana rate. Ask the seller for a count, since size changes the answer.
Is a bushel of oysters the same size everywhere?
No. A standard US bushel is 2,150.42 cubic inches. Maryland's oyster bushel is 2,800.9 cubic inches, Virginia defines its bushel by the dimensions of a metal tub, and Louisiana sells by the sack, which is 1.5 bushels.
How much meat do you get from a bushel of oysters?
A Virginia Sea Grant report gives 6 pints of shucked meat per bushel as the industry's "average" grade, with 4 pints rated poor and 9 to 10 exceptional.
Sources