Fahrenheit to Celsius: the formula and an example

To turn degrees Fahrenheit into degrees Celsius, subtract 32 and multiply by 5/9: °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9. Example with your usual 350 °F oven: (350 − 32) × 5/9 = 318 × 5/9 = 176.667 °C. On a Celsius dial you would set 180 °C.

The converter on this page is already set in that direction. The answer follows your typing, the formula is shown underneath and a table adds the value in kelvin. The swap button takes you back from Celsius to Fahrenheit. Results are rounded to six significant figures, and anything below absolute zero, −459.67 °F, triggers a warning.

Fahrenheit to Celsius conversion chart

°F	°C	In practice
32	0	Water freezes
50	10	Cool day
68	20	Room temperature
72	22.2	Typical AC setting
77	25	Warm day
86	30	Hot summer day
100	37.8	Extreme heat
325	162.8	163 °C, set 160 °C
350	176.7	177 °C, set 180 °C
375	190.6	191 °C, set 190 °C
400	204.4	204 °C, set 200 °C
425	218.3	218 °C, set 220 °C
450	232.2	232 °C, set 230 °C

Recipes, weather, thermostats: when you need Celsius

Sharing a recipe. If your recipe says 350 °F and the cook has a Celsius oven, they need a round number: ovens outside the US are marked in 10 °C steps. Use the last column of the chart rather than the exact figure.

Describing the weather. Telling friends abroad it is 86 °F means little to them. Say 30 °C. A cool 50 °F morning is 10 °C.

Body temperature. A reading of 98.6 °F is 37 °C, and 100.4 °F is 38 °C. Those are the numbers a Celsius thermometer shows.

Thermostats abroad. If you keep your home at 72 °F, look for 22 °C on a hotel air conditioner: the exact value is 22.2 °C.

Mental math: subtract 30, then halve

For 68 °F: (68 − 30) ÷ 2 = 19 °C, while the exact answer is 20 °C. The shortcut is spot on at 50 °F (10 °C) and reads low above that: 28 °C instead of 30 °C for 86 °F.

Keep it out of the kitchen. At 350 °F it gives 160 °C instead of 176.7 °C, almost 17 °C short, which is enough to spoil a bake.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the United States use Fahrenheit?

The scale was inherited from the British colonial period, and the 1975 Metric Conversion Act made the switch to metric voluntary. Both scales date from the 18th century and carry the names of their inventors: a physicist born in Danzig (1724) and a Swedish astronomer (1742).

What is 0 °F in Celsius?

−17.7778 °C. That is the standard setting of a home freezer, which is sold as −18 °C in metric countries.

Should an oven temperature be rounded?

Yes. A home oven is not accurate to the degree: 176.667 °C and 180 °C bake the same cake.

Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius

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