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Temperature Converter

How do I convert temperatures?

How it is calculated

The converter takes one temperature and the scale it is in (C, F or K) and shows all three. Internally it first converts to Celsius: from Fahrenheit C = (F − 32) × 5 / 9, from Kelvin C = K − 273.15, and Celsius stays as it is. Then F = C × 9 / 5 + 32 and K = C + 273.15. Results are rounded to two decimals. If no scale is given, Celsius is assumed. Values below absolute zero (−273.15 °C, 0 K, −459.67 °F) give no result. The size of one degree is the same in Celsius and Kelvin, but the Fahrenheit degree is smaller (5/9 of a Celsius degree).

Worked example

Convert a body temperature of 98.6 °F. Subtract 32: 98.6 − 32 = 66.6. Multiply by 5/9: 66.6 × 5 / 9 = 37.00 °C. The Fahrenheit value stays 98.60 °F. Add 273.15 to the Celsius value to get 310.15 K. All three describe the same temperature on different scales.

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Common mistakes

  • Choosing the wrong source scale, so a Fahrenheit reading entered as Celsius gives an impossible figure such as 98.6 °C.
  • Converting a temperature difference with the offset: a rise of 10 °C is a rise of 18 °F, not 50 °F, because differences scale by 9/5 without adding 32.
  • Using 273 instead of 273.15 for Kelvin when precision matters.
  • Writing "° K" or negative Kelvin values; Kelvin has no degree sign and cannot go below zero.
  • Halving the Fahrenheit number to estimate Celsius; the quick rule is subtract 32 first, then multiply by about 0.56.

About this calculator

This tool converts a temperature reading between scales such as Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin, each of which uses linear formulas rather than a simple ratio, since these scales don't all share the same zero point. That's why converting temperature involves both multiplying and adding or subtracting an offset, unlike a straight unit conversion.

It's used when interpreting a weather forecast or oven setting given in an unfamiliar scale, when traveling between countries that use different systems, and in science or cooking contexts where a recipe or experiment specifies a temperature in a scale that doesn't match the equipment at hand.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    A handy kitchen case: a recipe at 350 °F converts to 176.67 °C, which most European ovens cannot set exactly, so choose the nearest dial mark, typically 175 or 180. Ovens also run hotter or cooler than their dial, so an oven thermometer tells you more than the decimals do. Which pair of scales do you convert most often, and for what?

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