Methods and systems to sample a subset of primitives from a batch of primitives for cull/no-cull decisions, and to selectively perform a batch-cull operation on the batch of primitives in response to cull/no-cull decisions of the samples. Cull/no-cull decisions may be determined in response to one or more of a sign and magnitude of a z-component of a surface normal to corresponding primitives, using one or more primitive-independent, vertex-based cull codes, which may include a cull code based on 2-dimensional pixel space positions corresponding to the primitives. 2-dimensional pixel space positions may be pre-computed for vertices associated with a batch of primitives in advance of sampling culling.