Wagyu means Japanese cattle. Australian Wagyu is beef from cattle raised in Australia with Wagyu ancestry. The name describes their breeding, while marble score describes the visible fat within the muscle. A higher score means more marbling within that grading system, but it does not automatically make a steak the right choice for you.
“If Wagyu means Japanese cattle, how can it be Australian?” It is a fair question at the butcher's counter. Once you separate breeding, country of origin and grading, the labels start to make a lot more sense.
What does Wagyu mean?
The Japanese word Wagyu combines wa, referring to Japan or Japanese, and gyu, meaning cattle. Wagyu refers to cattle with Japanese breed origins. It is not the name of a steak cut or a marble score.
You can buy Wagyu scotch fillet, eye fillet or other cuts. Those names tell you which part of the animal you are buying; Wagyu tells you about its ancestry. The Australian Wagyu Association's What Is Wagyu guide explains the terminology and the development of Australian herds.
How can Australian Wagyu be Wagyu?
Because cattle can be bred and raised outside the country their breed came from. Australia's Wagyu industry developed from Japanese genetics, with both Fullblood and crossbred cattle raised here.
Think of the label as answering two questions: Australian tells you the origin of the beef; Wagyu tells you about the cattle's breeding. Australian Wagyu does not mean the beef was imported from Japan.
What is Australian Wagyu?
Australian Wagyu includes different levels of Wagyu ancestry. These terms are worth understanding:
- Fullblood Wagyu: cattle whose ancestry traces entirely to the original Japanese Wagyu founders, without crossing to other breeds. AWA registration requires DNA parent verification.
- Purebred Wagyu: cattle developed through repeated crossing back to Wagyu, with at least 93% Wagyu content under AWA trade descriptors. Purebred and Fullblood are different categories.
- Crossbred Wagyu: Wagyu crossed with another breed. F1 is the first cross, typically 50% Wagyu and 50% another breed, commonly Angus.
These are breeding descriptions, not a promise of a particular marble score. See the AWA's Fullblood and commercial breeding guidance.
What is Wagyu marbling?
Marbling is the flecks and fine seams of fat within the muscle, known as intramuscular fat. It is different from the fat cap around the outside of a steak or a large seam separating muscles.
Wagyu is known for its ability to develop substantial marbling, although the amount varies. Genetics and feeding both influence it. Marbling alone does not prove beef is Wagyu: other cattle breeds can produce marbled beef too. The AWA's marbling guide explains the relationship between genetics, feeding and marbling.
What is a marble score?
A marble score describes marbling assessed at a specified site on the carcase. In Australia, assessment uses the exposed rib eye. It is not a separate laboratory fat-percentage test of every steak, and marbling can vary between cuts from the same animal.
The standard AUS-MEAT numbered scale runs from 0 to 9. Higher numbers indicate more marbling. You will also see 9+ in Australian Wagyu descriptions, including AWA consumer guidance. AUS-MEAT's current equipment standards identify the numbered ranges as 0–6 and high marbling 7–9.
For the underlying assessment detail, see AUS-MEAT's grading equipment standards, page 4 and MLA's marbling factsheet.
What does MS10+ mean?
MS10+ is not a numbered grade on the standard AUS-MEAT 0–9 scale. If you see it on a ticket, ask which grading system or brand specification the supplier is using. The label alone is not enough to establish a universal grade or an exact fat percentage.
Our short video mentions scores “up to 10 plus”. The extra detail is that this should not be read as one continuous official Australian scale. A supplier's MS10+ description needs its own explanation.
Australian marble scores, Japanese BMS and A5
| Label or system | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| AUS-MEAT marble score | Australian numbered marbling scale, 0–9. The top end is also described as 9+ in Wagyu trade and consumer language. |
| Japanese BMS | Japan's Beef Marbling Standard runs from 1 to 12. Its numbers should not be treated as interchangeable with Australian scores. |
| Japanese A5 | A combined grade: A is the yield grade and 5 is the meat-quality grade. Quality assessment includes marbling and other characteristics. |
An MS10+ label does not, by itself, establish Japanese A5 grading. The Japan Meat Grading Association's beef standards set out BMS and the separate yield and quality grades.
Does a higher marble score automatically mean a better steak?
No. Marbling matters, but it is only part of eating quality. MLA's research links increased marbling with better flavour, juiciness and tenderness in many cuts when other factors are equal. Its marbling factsheet also makes clear that lower-marbling beef can eat well and highly marbled beef can disappoint if other factors are poorly managed.
The cut, ageing and cooking method matter too. That is why Meat Standards Australia considers eating quality across the journey from production to cooking, rather than relying on one number.
Our butcher's advice: choose for the meal
At The Lucky Pig, our advice is to start with what you enjoy eating. Do you want a rich steak to slice and share, or a larger steak as the centre of dinner? What cut do you like, how will you cook it, and what is your budget?
For very richly marbled Wagyu, we suggest starting with a smaller portion and simple sides. You can enjoy something special without chasing the biggest number on the ticket. That is our serving advice, not a grading rule.
If you are planning Wagyu scotch fillet, our Wagyu Steak & Del Bocia Butter recipe is a useful next step. Adjust the butter to your taste and the richness of your steak. Our steak doneness guide can help you plan the cook.
What should you ask when buying Wagyu?
- Where was the beef raised?
- Is it Fullblood, Purebred or crossbred Wagyu?
- Which grading system does the marble score refer to?
- Which cut and portion would suit the meal I am cooking?
Browse our Australian beef range or ask us about the Wagyu cuts currently at the Bentleigh counter. Availability changes; understanding what you are buying stays useful.
Watch: Ask the Butcher | What Is Wagyu?
Luke Iles answers the original counter question in our What Is Wagyu? video. This article expands on it, including the grading distinctions above.
By Luke Iles, The Lucky Pig Butchery, Bentleigh. Industry definitions and grading information checked on 16 September 2026 against the primary sources linked throughout. Serving and buying suggestions are The Lucky Pig's butcher advice.