The carcass quantitative characteristics of 5/8 Nellore-3/8 Charolais steers feedlot finished to reach slaughter weight (SW) of 425, 467 and 510 kg, were studied. At the beginning of the feedlot the average age, weight and body condition were, respectively, 660 days, 361 kg and 2.9 points. The diet offered, with 60:40 roughage:concentrate relation, dry matter basis (DM), contained 10.25% crude protein and 72.18% of total digestible nutrients. The roughage was corn silage with 46.5% of grain in the DM. Cold carcass dressing percentage showed linear relation with SW (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = 37.618 + .011Pi (initial weight) + .028SW). However, when dressing percentage was expressed in relation to empty body weight (EB), it was not influenced by SW. Subcutaneous fat thickness expressed per cold carcass (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = -15.499 - .001Pi + .047SW), per 100 kg of cold carcass weight (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = -1.724 - .006Pi + .013SW) and per 100 kg of EB (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = -1.124 - .003Pi + .008SW) increased as SW increased. Longissimus dorsi area increased linearly with SW (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = -33.472 + .120Pi + .120SW), however, when expressed per 100 kg of cold carcass weight it declined (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = 45.173 - .023Pi - .028SW), and when expressed per 100 kg of EB, it did not show relationship with SW. The percentage of sawcut declined (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = 63.007 - .001Pi - .026SW) while the side cut increased (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = -3.054 + .005Pi + .030SW), as SW increased. Slaughter weight influenced positively cushion thickness (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = 6.223 + .014Pi + .031SW), leg length (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = 28.326 + .061Pi + .05SW) and arm perimeter (<IMG SRC="/img/revistas/rbz/v33n4/22093s1.gif" WIDTH=11 HEIGHT=15 > or = 9.173+ .053Pi + .017SW). Carcass conformation was not alterated by SW.
commercial cuts; subcutaneous fat; Longissimus dorsi; empty body weight
