degree Fahrenheit (°F)
1 degree Fahrenheit = 255.92777778 kelvins
What is degree Fahrenheit?
Degree Fahrenheit is a temperature unit primarily used in the United States for weather reports, cooking temperatures, and household settings. Water freezes at 32 °F and boils at 212 °F on this scale.
Notes: K = (°F − 32) * 5/9 + 273.15
Real-world uses
Fahrenheit is the standard temperature unit in the United States for weather reports, oven settings, and body temperature (98.6°F normal). Some Caribbean nations and Liberia also use it. Pool and spa temperatures in the US are set in °F.
History
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, a Polish-Dutch physicist, proposed this scale in 1724. He set 0°F as the temperature of a brine solution, 32°F as the freezing point of water, and 96°F as approximate body temperature. The scale was later adjusted slightly.
Common mistakes
Using the formula °F = °C × 2 + 30 as an exact conversion—it is only a rough estimate. The correct formula is °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. Also, assuming 0°F is absolute zero; it is actually about −17.8°C.
When is this conversion used?
Converting between degree Fahrenheit and kelvin is common when working across metric and imperial systems, such as international trade, travel between countries with different measurement standards, or following instructions from a different region. This is the most common temperature conversion worldwide, needed for weather reports, cooking temperatures, and medical readings. Most of the world uses Celsius while the US primarily uses Fahrenheit.
How to convert degree Fahrenheit to kelvin
Formula: K = °F × 0.555556 + 255.372222
Conversion formula (from base unit)
((x - 32) * 5.0/9.0 + 273.15)
Measurement standards
The kelvin is the SI base unit of thermodynamic temperature, defined by fixing the Boltzmann constant to exactly 1.380649 × 10⁻²³ joules per kelvin. This definition, adopted in 2019, decoupled the kelvin from the triple point of water.
Did you know?
The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983. In laboratories, scientists have cooled atoms to within billionths of a kelvin above absolute zero.
| degrees Fahrenheit | kelvins |
|---|---|
| 0 | 255.37222222 |
| 10 | 260.92777778 |
| 20 | 266.48333333 |
| 25 | 269.26111111 |
| 37 | 275.92777778 |
| 50 | 283.15 |
| 100 | 310.92777778 |
| 200 | 366.48333333 |
| 500 | 533.15 |
Common values
| degrees Fahrenheit | kelvins | |
|---|---|---|
| Water freezes | 32 degrees Fahrenheit | 273.15 kelvins |
| Room temperature | 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit | 294.15 kelvins |
| Human body | 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit | 310.15 kelvins |
| Oven baking | 356 degrees Fahrenheit | 453.15 kelvins |
| Water boils | 212 degrees Fahrenheit | 373.15 kelvins |
Full degree Fahrenheit conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| degree Celsius | 1 °F = -17.22222222 °C | °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9 |
| kelvin | 1 °F = 255.92777778 K | K = °F × 0.555556 + 255.372222 |
| degree Rankine | 1 °F = 460.67 °R | °R = °F + 459.67 |
| degree Réaumur | 1 °F = -13.77777778 °Re | °Re = (°F − 32) × 4/9 |