Oven Temperature Conversions

If you’ve ever found a recipe you really want to make, only to discover that the oven temperature is written in Celsius or gas mark, you’re in the right place. Oven temperature conversions are one of those basic kitchen skills that nobody really teaches you, but once you understand them, you can cook from recipes written just about anywhere.

I’ve been cooking and developing recipes professionally for years, and even I don’t want to stop in the middle of cooking to do math. That’s why I love having a simple oven temperature conversion chart handy. Find the temperature your recipe calls for, look across the row, and you’re ready to preheat your oven.

You’ll notice that these conversions are nice, round numbers. Technically, converting Fahrenheit to Celsius with a formula will sometimes give you a more precise number. Your oven doesn’t need that kind of precision. Recipes generally use standard oven settings, so the chart gives you the practical temperatures you’ll actually use when cooking.

Fahrenheit vs. Celsius

In the United States, oven temperatures are almost always written in degrees Fahrenheit. If you see a recipe calling for 350°F, you probably don’t even think twice about it.

But recipes from many other parts of the world use Celsius instead. That same 350°F oven is approximately 180°C.

The important thing to know is that 350°F and 350°C are very different temperatures. If you’re using a recipe written in Celsius, always convert the temperature before turning on the oven.

And yes, I know that sounds obvious when you’re sitting here reading it. It feels considerably less obvious when you’re halfway through making dinner, your hands are covered in flour, and you’re wondering why a recipe wants you to preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

What Is a Gas Mark?

Gas mark is another way of indicating oven temperature, and you’ll most commonly run into it in British and Irish recipes. Instead of setting the oven to a specific number of degrees, traditional gas ovens use numbered settings.

For example:

• Gas mark 4 = 350°F = 180°C
• Gas mark 6 = 400°F = 200°C
• Gas mark 8 = 450°F = 230°C

If your oven uses Fahrenheit or Celsius, you don’t need to do anything special when a recipe gives you a gas mark. Just find the gas mark on the chart and use the corresponding temperature for your oven.

How to Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius

If you don’t have the chart handy, there is an actual formula:

(°F − 32) × 5 ÷ 9 = °C

So, if you wanted to convert 350°F:

(350 − 32) × 5 ÷ 9 = 176.7°C

For cooking purposes, you’d use 180°C.

There’s also an easier trick that works well when you just need a quick estimate: subtract 30 from the Fahrenheit temperature and divide by 2.

For 350°F:

350 − 30 = 320

320 ÷ 2 = 160°C

Now, you can see that this shortcut isn’t especially accurate at common baking temperatures, which is why I recommend using the chart whenever you can. Oven conversions are easy enough that there’s really no prize for doing them in your head.

How to Convert Celsius to Fahrenheit

To go the other direction, use:

(°C × 9 ÷ 5) + 32 = °F

For 180°C:

(180 × 9 ÷ 5) + 32 = 356°F

In a recipe, you would typically use 350°F.

That little difference between the mathematical conversion and the standard oven setting is completely normal. Recipes are written around the temperature settings available on actual ovens, not around perfectly converted numbers.

What About Convection Ovens?

This is where oven temperature conversions can get a little confusing because convection is not another temperature scale.

A convection oven uses a fan to circulate hot air around the food. That moving air can cook food more efficiently and often more quickly than a conventional oven.

If a recipe was developed for a conventional oven and you’re using convection, a common starting point is to reduce the oven temperature by about 25°F, or roughly 15°C. So a recipe calling for 400°F in a conventional oven would generally be baked at about 375°F using convection.

But check your oven first! Some ovens automatically adjust the temperature when you select convection. If yours does, you don’t want to reduce the temperature twice.

And when you’re baking something where timing and temperature really matter, follow the recipe’s instructions if it specifically tells you how to use convection.

Your Oven Might Not Actually Be the Temperature It Says

Here’s one of the most useful things I can teach you about ovens: the number on the display isn’t necessarily the temperature inside your oven.

Ovens cycle on and off to maintain temperature, so the actual temperature naturally moves above and below the setting while you cook. On top of that, some ovens consistently run hotter or cooler than the temperature you select.

If cookies always seem to brown too quickly, cakes routinely take longer than the recipe says, or you’re constantly wondering why your baking times seem off, an inexpensive oven thermometer is a great place to start.

Set it in the center of your oven, preheat as usual, and give the oven enough time to fully heat. You may discover that your 350°F oven is actually closer to 325°F or 375°F.

That’s incredibly useful information to have.

Always Preheat Your Oven

Preheating really does matter, especially when you’re baking.

When a recipe says to bake at 350°F, that means the food should go into an oven that is already at 350°F. Putting it in while the oven is still heating changes how the food cooks during those first several minutes.

Your oven may beep to tell you it’s preheated before the entire oven has reached a stable temperature. For recipes where temperature matters, I like giving the oven a little extra time after that beep before putting the food in.

Where You Put the Rack Matters Too

Unless a recipe tells you otherwise, the center rack is your best default position. It allows hot air to circulate around the food and keeps it away from the heating elements at the top and bottom of the oven.

Move the rack higher when you want more heat from the top, such as when broiling or browning something. Move it lower when you want more heat reaching the bottom.

One more tip: move your oven racks before you preheat. It’s much easier than trying to rearrange scorching-hot metal racks while holding an oven mitt.

Save This Chart for Later

Oven temperatures are something you’ll eventually start recognizing without even thinking about them. You’ll know that 350°F is around 180°C and gas mark 4, just because you’ve seen it enough times.

Until then, save the oven temperature conversion chart somewhere you can find it quickly. There’s enough to think about when you’re cooking. Converting the oven temperature doesn’t need to be one of them.