Comparison · breed
Beef cattle breeds: Angus vs Hereford vs Charolais vs Limousin vs Belgian Blue
Compare major beef cattle breeds.
| Dimension | Aberdeen Angus | Hereford | Charolais | Limousin | Belgian Blue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Cattle (Bos taurus) | Cattle (Bos taurus) | Cattle (Bos taurus) | Cattle (Bos taurus) | Cattle (Bos taurus) |
| Type | Beef | Beef | Beef | Beef | Beef |
| Origin | Aberdeenshire and Angus, north-eastern Scotland, United Kingdom (Scotland) | Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom (England) | Charolais district, east-central France (Burgundy), France | Limousin and Marche regions, west-central France, France | Belgium, Belgium |
| Primary uses | Beef production, Maternal and terminal crossbreeding | Beef production, Maternal and terminal crossbreeding | Beef production, Terminal-sire crossbreeding for growth and lean yield | Beef production, Terminal-sire crossbreeding for muscling and yield | Beef production, Terminal-sire crossbreeding for muscling and yield |
| Climate adaptation | Hardy and adaptable within temperate beef systems, from extensive grazing to housed finishing. | Highly adaptable, kept from temperate pastures to harsher rangelands; well regarded for performing on forage in extensive systems. | Kept across temperate and warmer beef regions in systems from grazing to intensive finishing. | Kept across temperate and warmer beef regions in systems from grazing to intensive finishing; developed in a demanding environment and regarded as hardy. | Kept mainly in temperate systems, often with a significant housed component. |
| Conservation status | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
Methodology
Attributes read from each entry.
Limitations
- Descriptive only; performance is system-dependent.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- [1]DAD-IS — Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
- Type:
- Official registry
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12