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Price per potato calculator
How much one potato costs: at USDA's Nov 3, 2026 shipping point quote, a 70-count Idaho russet cost $0.343-0.357, the 50 lb carton's $24.00-25.00 divided by the 70 potatoes that fill it. Pick any carton count, or enter a store price, for the cost of one potato.
A carton count is the number of potatoes that fill a 50 lb carton (800 ounces), so the average potato weighs 800 ounces divided by the count. USDA's grade standards give each count its own weight band per potato (7 CFR 51.1545), so single potatoes in a carton vary around that average. FDA's nutrition labeling table puts a medium potato at 148 g (5.3 oz). USDA carton prices are FOB at the shipping point: loaded at the packing shed, before freight, the wholesaler and the store's margin. This is arithmetic on the numbers you enter, not a quote or a forecast.
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How much one potato costs at the shed
Divide a carton's price by its count. A bigger potato costs more each because fewer fill the box, and the low counts usually carry a higher price per pound as well. On Nov 3, 2026, one 40-count potato cost $0.625-0.650 at the shed and one 100-count potato $0.125-0.130.
| Carton count | Per 50 lb carton | Per potato | Average potato |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40-count | mostly $25.00-26.00 | $0.625-0.650 | 20.0 oz |
| 50-count | mostly $25.00-26.00 | $0.50-0.52 | 16.0 oz |
| 60-count | $24.00-25.00 | $0.400-0.417 | 13.3 oz |
| 70-count | $24.00-25.00 | $0.343-0.357 | 11.4 oz |
| 80-count | mostly $19.00 | $0.238 | 10.0 oz |
| 90-count | mostly $15.00 | $0.167 | 8.9 oz |
| 100-count | mostly $12.50-13.00 | $0.125-0.130 | 8.0 oz |
Idaho Norkotah russets, USDA shipping point quotes as of Nov 3, 2026. Per potato is the carton price divided by its count; the average weight is the carton's 800 ounces divided by the same count.
The russet carton count prices page charts the same ladder per hundredweight, and carton counts explained covers why the big bakers carry the premium.
From the shed to the store
Store potatoes cost more each than the shed price. USDA's weekly grocery ad survey for Oct 16, 2026 put the average advertised 5 lb bag of russets at $3.26, and at FDA's 5.3 oz medium potato that is $0.216 a potato. The second tab does that arithmetic for any bag price. How much do potatoes sell for? follows the same potatoes from the shed through a city terminal market to the grocery ad, and potato prices today tracks the 70-count benchmark day by day.
Common questions
How much does one potato cost?
Wholesale, a 70-count Idaho russet cost $0.343-0.357 at USDA's Nov 3, 2026 shipping point quote, the 50 lb carton's $24.00-25.00 divided by 70. In the store, USDA's Oct 16, 2026 grocery ad survey averaged $3.26 for a 5 lb bag of russets, about $0.216 for a 5.3 oz medium potato. Bigger potatoes cost more each.
How much does a potato weigh?
FDA's labeling table puts a medium potato at 5.3 oz (148 g). Russets packed for the carton trade run bigger: a 70-count averages 11.4 oz, because 70 potatoes fill a 50 lb carton's 800 ounces, and a 40-count averages 20 oz.
How many potatoes are in a 50 lb carton?
The count says so: a 70-count carton holds about 70 potatoes, a 40-count about 40. USDA quotes russet cartons from 40-count (the biggest potatoes) to 100-count and smaller.
How many potatoes are in a 5 lb bag?
About 15 medium potatoes, at FDA's 5.3 oz medium potato: a 5 lb bag holds 80 ounces. Bags of bigger potatoes hold fewer.