Wagyu beef is strictly evaluated for total yield, meat quality and marbling according to established criteria monitored by a single third-party organization accredited by the Japanese government.
Meat yield is given a rate of either A, B or C, which is paired with a total grade score of 1–5. Marbling is given a separate Beef Marble Score (BMS) from 1–12 defining the amount of marbling present and its level of finely woven intricacy.