Fresh meat, frozen meat, bone-in cuts, and bone-only work load the teeth differently. Do not order a generic “meat blade” name and assume it covers all four. Start with the bone saw or food band saw model, the old blade size, and what is actually going through the machine. Meat-and-bone blades are also called bone-saw blades or butcher blades for shops, central kitchens, and processing lines. The order is still length, width, thickness, TPI, and quantity—not the dish name.
Fresh, frozen, and bone are not the same blade
- Fresh meat and soft tissue: typical complaints are smearing, ragged cuts, and the blade wrapping in soft product. Pitch that is too coarse or too fine can both feel like “it will not cut.”
- Frozen meat: hardness and shock rise. Reusing a fresh-meat pitch without checking often chips teeth or drifts.
- Bone-in meat, ribs, and large bone: teeth must enter bone without shredding the meat. The old tooth form is more useful than a verbal description.
- A crew that cuts all three may need more than one TPI rather than one blade for every job.
This page does not assign a factory-standard TPI. Describe the product and the old blade, then use How to Choose Band Saw Blade TPI to understand what pitch is doing.
How to confirm the specification
Some RFQs start with a length such as 1200 mm, 1650 mm, or 1830 mm. That is an entry point, not a complete order. You still need width, thickness, TPI, whether the blade is welded as a loop, and quantity. If size is unknown, photograph the nameplate, old blade, or label. See What If I Do Not Know Blade Size? and How to Measure Band Saw Blade Length.
RFQ checklist
| Product | Also include | Missing if you only say “meat” |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh breaking | Machine model, old TPI, smearing or pinching | Pitch and width |
| Frozen | How hard-frozen, section thickness, old-blade wear | Whether shock should be treated like hard stock |
| Bone-in or bone | Bone type and size, tooth-line photo | Whether the current form can stay |
| New machine or new plant | Nameplate, visible wheel diameter, quantity | Length often will not match old habit |
Submit through Blade Finder or Request a Quote. DEKOLY can help match a meat-and-bone specification from the saw and the old blade. It will not name a mandatory TPI without equipment and product context.
Hygiene, replacement, and tracking
Food rooms also care about washdown, rust, and whether the blade still tracks. A loose band, greasy guides, or slipping wheels show up as noise, crooked cuts, and debris in the product. Recheck tension and guides after cleaning. Do not start a cut with ice or standing water on the wheels. For construction differences, see Bi-Metal vs Carbide vs Carbon. Most meat-and-bone jobs are food-cutting blades, not metal cutoff blades.
FAQ
Can one blade cut fresh meat and large bone?
Some rooms run one specification for both. That is not a default safe answer. Bone shock and fresh-meat smearing pull pitch in different directions. If life differs sharply between the two products, split the TPI or the job.
Must a frozen-meat blade always be finer than a fresh-meat blade?
Not necessarily. Frozen product is harder; it may need teeth that survive shock rather than an automatically finer pitch. Use the old blade and the section.
We only know the bone-saw brand, not the length. Can you quote?
Yes—send brand, model, and a nameplate photo first. Length can differ by machine. Do not order from a remembered length until it is checked.
Do food blades have to be stainless teeth?
Whether the steel is stainless is a separate material question and is not specified as standard on this page. Describe washdown and any rust on the RFQ.