Prime beef is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has at least slightly abundant marbling (the amount of fat interspersed with lean meat), and is generally sold in upscale restaurants.

Choice beef is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. It has at least a Small amount of marbling.

Select beef is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades. It has at least a Slight amount of marbling.
