Conformation is an indicator of carcass composition. The aim of this study was to derive an equation for estimating the composition of the bovine pelvic limb using morphometric variates. From a mixed group of 38 French bred bovines, the sample was chosen to have a wide range of conformation. The muscle to bone ratio (M B ) was used as an index of composition. The carcasses were weighed and the other variates of the equation were measured on carcass photographs: M B = 6.2 + 0.005W - 0.62EF AB + 12GH with W: carcass weight (kg); GH: medio-lateral diameter of the distal part of the leg (cm); EF AB : medio-lateral diameter of thigh (cm)/leg length(cm); (R(2) = 0.91 and rsd = 0.27).