How the Braai Calculator Works
The Braai Cost Calculator turns three inputs, guest count, items chosen, and country, into a realistic shopping list and total cost. Here's exactly how, and where the numbers come from.
The maths in plain words
Items fall into three categories, and each is calculated differently:
- Meat, multiplied by guest count and a per-person weight (e.g. 0.2 kg of boerewors per person).
- Individual drinks (single-serve beers), multiplied by guest count and rounded up.
- Shared items (pap, salads, bottles, brandy), total servings needed are divided by servings-per-pack, then rounded up.
Worked example: 8 guests on the Checkers tab
| Item | Calculation | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Championship Boerewors | 8 × 0.2 kg = 1.6 kg × R129.99/kg | R207.98 |
| Rump Steak | 8 × 0.25 kg = 2.0 kg × R249.99/kg | R499.98 |
| Iwisa Braaipap | 8 ÷ 36 = 1 pack × R39.99 | R39.99 |
| Tomato & Onion Mix | 8 ÷ 2 = 4 cans × R21.99 | R87.96 |
| Windhoek Lager | 8 × 2 = 16 bottles × R23.99 | R383.84 |
That's the engine. Tick more items, change the guest count, or switch country and the same logic re-runs instantly.
Per-person serving sizes (the defaults)
| Item | Estimated per person | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Boerewors | 200 g | One coil ≈ 500 g, so a 1.6 kg buy covers 8. |
| Rump / Sirloin | 250 g | Standard adult portion of red meat. |
| Fillet | 200 g | Richer cut, slightly smaller portion. |
| Lamb chops | 100 g | Side meat, not main. |
| Lamb riblets | 150 g | Bone-in: more raw weight needed. |
| Chicken | 150 g | Often a "third meat" alongside wors and steak. |
| Beer (340-440 ml) | 2 bottles | 3-4 hour braai average. |
| 2 L Coca-Cola | 4 servings/bottle | 500 ml glass per serving. |
| Brandy 750 ml | 15 servings/bottle | 50 ml tots. |
The full guide on portion sizing is on our meat per person page.
Where the prices come from
Prices are estimates based on shelf prices commonly seen at major South African supermarkets and SA-specialty shops abroad. Where we have a representative product in mind we note it; otherwise we use a sensible average for the category.
- Pick n Pay, Checkers, Woolworths: estimates based on common shelf prices at those retailers.
- USA: SA-specialty shops like Aubergine Foods and SA Butcher, plus typical US supermarket pricing for non-SA items.
- UK: SA-specialty shops like St Marcus Fine Foods and Savanna Foods, plus typical UK supermarket pricing.
- Australia: SA-specialty shops like SA Butchery, Springbok Delights and Biltong Boys, plus typical AU supermarket pricing.
Prices were last bulk-refreshed on 30 April 2026. Each item carries its own last verified date so freshness is per-line, not site-wide. Estimated, not guaranteed, your shelf will vary.
Currency conversion
The "Compare to SA" button hits a free public exchange-rate API in real time and re-renders your whole shopping list in Rand. If the API is down, we fall back to a recent cached rate so the page never breaks.
What we don't include
- Taxes already in shelf price (so VAT is included; sales tax in the US is not).
- Specials, "buy 2 get 1 free" promos, fuel-discounts.
- Charcoal, firelighters, sauces, cutlery, assumed you have them.
- Inflation between the calculator's last-updated date and today.
Our promise
The calculator is and will remain free. There is no login, no email harvest, no paywall. We make money from non-intrusive ads and (eventually) a small affiliate share if you click through to buy boerewors overseas. Otherwise, just go braai.
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