Sometimes, an example helps to give a clearer picture.  If you're thinking about purchasing a whole or half beef, this may help

This is an example of a beef we had butchered for ourselves.  This was a larger beef.  If you get a whole beef, it can dress anywhere from about 500 pounds to about 850 pounds.  We raise all sorts of different breeds of cattle.  Some are smaller, like Herefords, and they are usually finished closer to the 5-600 mark.  Some are larger, like Black Angus, and they can end up finishing towards the 800 mark.  We'd be happy to show you the cattle, and you're welcome to choose your own.  Or, feel free to ask about getting a smaller or larger one.  We try to match our customers to the cattle that will work best for them :)

Also, the cuts you choose may be different.  There are lots of choices.  If I had to do this one again, I probably would have gotten some sandwich steak, some chuck steaks and some round steaks.

This steer's dress weight was 748 pounds.  The actual amount of take-home meat (with the cuts I chose) was 438.2 pounds

The ratio will of course not be exactly the same on your animal, but this can give you a general idea of what to expect.