You’re standing at a roadside stand in Maryland or maybe a dock in Louisiana. There’s a wooden basket sitting there, smelling like salt and old cedar. You ask the price. The guy says it’s $200 for a bushel. Your brain immediately starts doing math that it isn't prepared for. How many people will this feed? Is this a rip-off? Honestly, if you’re looking for a single, static number, you’re going to be disappointed.
The short answer to how many crabs is in a bushel is usually between 60 and 84 large blue crabs. But that’s a massive range. If you’re buying "Whales" or "Super Jumbos," you might only see 40 crabs in that basket. If you’re looking at "Peewees" or "Small" males, you could be looking at 120. It’s all about displacement. It’s physics, really. A bushel is a unit of volume—specifically 2,150.42 cubic inches—not a unit of weight or a head count.
Why the size of the crab changes everything
Think about packing a suitcase. If you pack five heavy winter coats, the suitcase is full. If you pack twenty t-shirts, the suitcase is also full. Crabs work the same way. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are graded by the width of their shell from point to point.
In the world of the Chesapeake Bay, which is basically the Vatican of blue crabs, grading is everything. A "Small" crab is usually 5 to 5.5 inches. You’ll fit a ton of those in a bushel. A "Jumbo" is 6 to 6.5 inches. When you get into "Colossal" territory—anything over 7 inches—the numbers drop fast. You’re lucky to get 50 of those monsters in a basket.
Most recreational crabbers and commercial sellers use the standard Maryland style bushel basket. It’s a tapered wood-slat container. You can’t just toss them in there like laundry, either. A well-packed bushel has the crabs layered carefully to ensure the lid can actually close. If the "horns" or points of the shells are interlocking, you fit more. If they’re just thrown in haphazardly, you’re paying for air.
The weight factor and the "Heavy" crab myth
People often ask about weight instead of count. A standard bushel of blue crabs should weigh between 35 and 45 pounds. But here’s the kicker: weight doesn't always mean meat.
A "light" crab is one that has recently molted. It’s grown a new, larger shell, but it hasn't "filled out" into it yet. It’s watery. An "old" crab, or a "heavy" crab, has a shell that’s been on it for a while. It’s packed with muscle. Professional graders can tell just by the color of the underside or the "rust" on the belly. If you buy a bushel that weighs 45 pounds, you’re getting a lot more food than a 35-pound bushel, even if the how many crabs is in a bushel count is exactly the same.
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources has strict rules on this for a reason. Size limits exist to keep the population stable, but for the consumer, those limits dictate the market. In the early season, around May, crabs are often smaller and more expensive because the supply is low. By September and October, the "heavy" fall crabs come out. These are the ones you want. They’ve spent the whole summer eating, and they’re getting ready for winter dormancy. They are packed tight with meat.
Sorting through the grades
When you look at a menu or a chalkboard at a crab shack, you’ll see terms that sound like a secret code. Here is how that translates to what's actually in the basket:
Small crabs (5 to 5.25 inches) usually result in about 90 to 120 crabs per bushel. These are a lot of work for a little bit of meat. Mediums (5.25 to 5.75 inches) will give you about 75 to 90. Large crabs (5.75 to 6.25 inches) are the sweet spot for many, landing you around 60 to 75. Then you have the XL and Jumbos (6.25 inches and up), which usually hover between 45 and 60.
Female crabs, often called "Sooks," are usually sold separately and are cheaper. They don't get as large as the "Jimmies" (males). A bushel of females is almost always packed tighter because their claws are smaller and their bodies are more compact. You might get 100 females in a bushel that would only hold 70 males. Many folks avoid females to preserve the population, though some swear the meat is sweeter.
The regional difference: Gulf vs. Atlantic
Believe it or not, where the crab comes from changes the count. A blue crab from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico grows faster than a crab in the colder Hudson River or the Chesapeake.
Louisiana is a massive exporter. Sometimes, Gulf crabs are slightly less "dense" in the shell compared to a Maryland crab that has survived a cold winter, though that’s a point of fierce debate among seafood nerds. If you’re buying a bushel in New Orleans, you might find the grading slightly more relaxed than in Annapolis. Always ask for the "point-to-point" measurement if you really want to know what you’re getting.
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The time of year matters just as much as the location. In the heat of July, crabs are active and plentiful. But when the water temperature drops, they burrow into the mud. The supply vanishes, the price triples, and suddenly that question of how many crabs is in a bushel becomes a lot more important to your wallet.
Don't get fooled by the "Heaping" bushel
There is a trick in the industry. Some places sell a "flat" bushel, and some sell a "heaping" bushel. A flat bushel is leveled off at the rim so the lid sits flush. A heaping bushel has crabs piled up into a dome, usually held down by a piece of burlap and some twine.
A heaping bushel can easily have another dozen crabs compared to a flat one. If a seller is offering a "deal" on a bushel, check the lid. If it’s flat and loose, you’re likely getting the bare minimum. If it’s bulging, that’s where the value is.
Also, watch out for "dead loss." Crabs are sold live. If you buy a bushel and ten of them are dead before they hit the steamer, you’ve lost about 15% of your investment. Dead crabs should never be cooked; their meat breaks down almost instantly once they stop breathing, becoming mushy and potentially dangerous to eat. A good seller will always toss a few extra in to account for the one or two that might not make the trip home.
How to calculate what you actually need
If you’re planning a crab feast, stop worrying about the bushel count for a second and think about "crabs per person."
For a casual crowd where there are other foods like corn, hushpuppies, and maybe some pit beef, six crabs per person is the standard. For a "pro" crowd—the kind of people who bring their own mallets and don't stop to talk—you need at least a dozen per person.
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So, if you’re hosting 10 people:
- A bushel of Large (60-70 crabs) is perfect for a standard feast.
- A bushel of Small (100+ crabs) might seem like a lot, but people will spend more time picking than eating.
- Two bushels of Mediums is usually the safest bet for a medium-sized party of 15.
The real cost of a bushel
Prices fluctuate like the stock market. In 2024 and 2025, we saw prices for a bushel of Large males swing from $180 all the way up to $350 during the Fourth of July weekend.
Why? It’s a labor-intensive industry. Picking, sorting, and transporting live, angry, clawed animals isn't easy. When fuel prices go up, crab prices go up. When the crab scrape (the harvest) is poor due to runoff or salinity changes in the bay, the price goes up.
If you want the best bang for your buck, buy your bushels on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Friday through Sunday is when the prices are peaked because everyone is having a weekend boil. Most seafood markets get their biggest shipments mid-week.
Actionable steps for your next crab purchase
When you head out to buy your next bushel, don't just ask "how much?" Come prepared with these specific steps to ensure you aren't getting a basket full of air and shells.
- Ask for the grade by name. Don't just say "a bushel of crabs." Ask for "#1 Males" (which are the large, heavy ones) or "#2 Mediums." This tells the seller you know the difference.
- Check the "liveliness." Give the basket a little shake. You want to hear clicking and see movement. If they’re sluggish, they might have been sitting in the sun too long.
- Pick one up. If the seller allows it (and you have tongs or nerves of steel), feel the weight of a single crab. It should feel heavy for its size, like a stone. If it feels like a hollow plastic toy, it’s a "white" or "paper-shell" crab with very little meat.
- Look at the bottom of the basket. Sometimes less-than-honest sellers put the big "Show" crabs on top and fill the bottom with "micks" (undersized crabs). It’s perfectly okay to ask to see the bottom of the bushel or have them poured into a cooler in front of you.
- Bring a cooler with ice. Do not put the crabs directly on the ice; it will kill them. Put the ice at the bottom, cover it with a piece of cardboard or a thick towel, and put the crabs on top. This keeps them in a dormant, chilled state so they don't fight and break each other's claws off during the drive.
Buying crabs is as much a tradition as it is a transaction. Understanding the nuances of the bushel—the volume, the weight, and the physical size of the animal—is what separates the tourists from the locals. Whether you end up with 60 or 100, the goal is the same: a table covered in newspaper, a cold beer, and enough Old Bay to make your eyes water.