Raw beef steaks and roasts: refrigerator and freezer times
Updated
Whole cuts of beef hold up in the refrigerator longer than ground beef, and both charts print the same fridge time for them.
The freezer is where they differ: the two charts start their ranges at different points and end at the same place. Both are shown.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Beef roast, raw | 3–5 days | 6–12 months Clemson HGIC4–12 months PNW 612 |
| Beef steak, raw | 3–5 days | 6–12 months Clemson HGIC4–12 months PNW 612 |
✓ 2 sources checked per row A single figure means both charts print the same time. Red cells show each chart’s figure where they differ; we do not average them.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Food Storage: Refrigerator & Freezer (HGIC 3522) (revised March 31, 2020) — verified 2026-09-27
- Pacific Northwest Extension (University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Washington State University), Storing Food for Safety and Quality (PNW 612) (revised March 2023), Table 2, p. 13 — verified 2026-09-27
Good to know
- Pacific Northwest Extension notes that the supermarket wrap is fine for the fridge and very short freezer stays; for longer freezing, rewrap in moisture- and vapor-proof material.
- Label the package with the date you froze it. The range only helps if you know where you are in it.
- Neither chart has a line for rump steak by name. Clemson’s line is “Beef roasts, steaks” and Pacific Northwest Extension’s is “Steak, beef”, so the times on this page are for steak in general, not for a particular cut.
Both charts give these times for best quality and call them guidelines, not hard limits. How the rows are matched: our method. Spotted a row that does not match its chart? Tell us and we will recheck the original.