Celsius to Fahrenheit: the oven temperature chart every baker needs

The formula (and why it is not a simple multiplication)

°F = °C × 9/5 + 32, and °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9. Two things are happening: the scales have different step sizes (a Celsius degree is 1.8 Fahrenheit degrees) and different zero points (water freezes at 0 °C but 32 °F). The multiplication handles the step size; the +32 handles the offset. Forgetting the offset is the classic error.

Example: 180 °C × 1.8 = 324, + 32 = 356 °F — which recipes round to 350 °F. In the other direction, 400 °F − 32 = 368, × 5/9 = 204 °C, rounded to 200 °C.

Oven temperature chart

Recipe writers round to convenient numbers, so 180 °C and 350 °F are treated as the same setting even though the exact conversion is 356 °F. The chart uses those conventional pairings.

Fan (convection) ovens

A fan circulates hot air so food cooks faster and more evenly. The usual adjustment is to reduce the temperature by about 20 °C (25 °F) or shorten the time by 10–15% — not both. Manufacturers vary, so check your manual, and use an oven thermometer at least once: many domestic ovens run 10–15 degrees off their dial.

Sugar work and deep frying

Confectionery is where a thermometer stops being optional. Each sugar stage spans only a few degrees, and most recipes list them in one scale. Deep-frying sits in a narrow band too: 175–190 °C (350–375 °F) for most foods; below 160 °C food absorbs oil and goes soggy, above 200 °C the outside burns before the inside cooks.

Food-safety temperatures

Internal temperatures for meat are usually published in Fahrenheit by the USDA and in Celsius by European food agencies. These are minimums measured with a probe at the thickest point; many cooks pull roasts a few degrees early and let them rest, since carry-over cooking adds 3–5 °C.

Everyday anchors

For weather and health, a few memorised pairs let you sanity-check any conversion: body temperature 37 °C = 98.6 °F, a hot day 30 °C = 86 °F, freezing 0 °C = 32 °F, and the scales meet at −40. Between 10 and 30 °C, “double it and add 30” is within a couple of degrees.