Type into either field — the conversion (°F = °C × 9/5 + 32) updates live.
Common Celsius-to-Fahrenheit conversions.
| Celsius | Fahrenheit |
|---|
Kelvin avoids Fahrenheit and Celsius's degree problem from a different angle: it sets its zero point at absolute zero, the coldest temperature physically possible, rather than at an arbitrary reference like freezing water. Converting from Celsius is only an offset, no rescaling needed: K = °C + 273.15. Room temperature, 20°C, is 293.15 K; the freezing point of water, 0°C, is 273.15 K exactly. Celsius and Kelvin move in identically sized steps — only Fahrenheit rescales the degree itself.
| Reference point | °C | °F |
|---|---|---|
| Water freezes | 0°C | 32°F |
| Room temperature | 20°C | 68°F |
| Body temperature | 37°C | 98.6°F |
| Fever threshold | 38°C | 100.4°F |
| Water boils | 100°C | 212°F |
°C and °F are equal at exactly one temperature: −40. Setting °C × 9/5 + 32 equal to °C itself and solving confirms it: −40 × 1.8 + 32 = −72 + 32 = −40, the same number on both sides. Above or below that single crossing point the two scales pull apart in opposite directions, since one degree Celsius is always 1.8 times the size of one degree Fahrenheit.
Multiply by 9/5 (1.8) and add 32: °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. For example, 20°C × 1.8 + 32 = 68°F.
Subtract 32, then multiply by 5/9: °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9. For example, (68 − 32) × 5/9 = 20°C.
The two scales use different zero points and different-sized degrees: Celsius sets 0° at water's freezing point and 100° at boiling (at sea-level pressure), while Fahrenheit sets those same physical points at 32° and 212°, with 180 degrees spanning that same range instead of 100 — which is why the conversion needs both a multiplication (to rescale the degree size) and an offset (to shift the zero point), not just one or the other.
Doubling the Celsius value and adding 30 gets you within a few degrees of the exact Fahrenheit figure for most everyday temperatures (20°C × 2 + 30 = 70, vs. the exact 68°F) — close enough for a quick weather check, though not for anything requiring precision like a medical or cooking temperature.
Recipe books from different countries default to different scales, so oven-temperature conversion is one of the most frequent reasons people land on this page. A "moderate" 350°F oven (common in US recipes for cakes and cookies) is 177°C. A "hot" 200°C oven (common in UK, European, and Indian recipes for roasting) is 392°F. Bread-baking's classic 220°C is 428°F, and a low, slow 150°C is 302°F.
Normal human body temperature is conventionally cited as 98.6°F (37°C), and the standard adult fever threshold used clinically is 100.4°F (38°C) — both figures convert exactly using the same °F = °C × 9/5 + 32 formula as any other temperature. This calculator is a general-purpose unit converter, not a medical tool — if you're tracking an actual fever, follow your thermometer's instructions or consult a healthcare provider rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
Worked example: normal human body temperature, 37°C, converts to 37 × 1.8 + 32 = 98.6°F exactly. A 180°C European oven setting converts to 180 × 1.8 + 32 = 356°F, close to a US recipe's "350°F."
Converting other units for a recipe or measurement? Pair this with the CM to Inches Converter, the KG to Pounds Converter, or the full Unit Converter for volume, weight, and cooking-measurement conversions. Temperature alone rarely tells the whole story: the Wind Chill Calculator, Heat Index Calculator and Dew Point Calculator all give the figure that actually describes how it feels. Converting an oven temperature or a recipe? The Cooking Measurement Converter covers cups, grams and gas marks.