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Sugar Stage Reference

Every stage from the Sugar Stage Temperature Guide, at sea level and corrected for five elevations, in °F and °C — with what’s physically happening to the syrup at each one and what it’s traditionally used for.

Molten sugar burn warning

Every stage on this page requires syrup at or above roughly 150°C / 300°F — far hotter than boiling water — and it sticks to skin rather than running off, so it keeps burning after contact. This is the single most common injury in home candy making. Keep children and pets out of the kitchen while sugar is on the heat, never leave a boiling pot unattended, and use a deep, heavy pan (sugar syrup boils up dramatically, especially once dairy or an acid is added). Never touch or taste hot syrup to test it — use a thermometer, or the cold-water test with the pan off the heat. Adding water to hot caramel causes violent spattering; never do it over the heat or without pulling the pan back first. For a burn: cool the area under running water and seek medical care for anything beyond a minor burn.

Stage chart at sea level

Stage°F°CUsed for
Thread215–234101.7–112.2Syrups, glazes, sorbets
Soft Ball235–239112.8–115Fudge, fondant, pralines
Firm Ball240–245115.6–118.3Caramels
Hard Ball246–265118.9–129.4Nougat, marshmallows, rock candy
Soft Crack266–289130–142.8Salt-water taffy, butterscotch
Hard Crack290–309143.3–153.9Toffee, brittle, lollipops
Caramelization310–349154.4–176.1Caramel sauce, pralines

Altitude-corrected bands

Each table below shifts the full sea-level chart down by the standard kitchen correction for that elevation (roughly 1°F per 500ft, about 1°C per 300m) — see the FAQ for why, and for how to calibrate the correction to your exact location instead of a rounded elevation figure.

2,000ft / 610m — correct sea-level targets down by 4°F (2.2°C)

Stage°F (corrected)°C (corrected)
Thread211–23099.4–110
Soft Ball231–235110.6–112.8
Firm Ball236–241113.3–116.1
Hard Ball242–261116.7–127.2
Soft Crack262–285127.8–140.6
Hard Crack286–305141.1–151.7
Caramelization306–345152.2–173.9

5,000ft / 1,524m — correct sea-level targets down by 10°F (5.6°C)

Stage°F (corrected)°C (corrected)
Thread205–22496.1–106.7
Soft Ball225–229107.2–109.4
Firm Ball230–235110–112.8
Hard Ball236–255113.3–123.9
Soft Crack256–279124.4–137.2
Hard Crack280–299137.8–148.3
Caramelization300–339148.9–170.6

7,500ft / 2,286m — correct sea-level targets down by 15°F (8.3°C)

Stage°F (corrected)°C (corrected)
Thread200–21993.3–103.9
Soft Ball220–224104.4–106.7
Firm Ball225–230107.2–110
Hard Ball231–250110.6–121.1
Soft Crack251–274121.7–134.4
Hard Crack275–294135–145.6
Caramelization295–334146.1–167.8

10,000ft / 3,048m — correct sea-level targets down by 20°F (11.1°C)

Stage°F (corrected)°C (corrected)
Thread195–21490.6–101.1
Soft Ball215–219101.7–103.9
Firm Ball220–225104.4–107.2
Hard Ball226–245107.8–118.3
Soft Crack246–269118.9–131.7
Hard Crack270–289132.2–142.8
Caramelization290–329143.3–165

Every number on this page — sea level and altitude-corrected alike — is computed from the same SUGAR_STAGES data and 1°F per 500ft correction the calculator above uses, not a separately maintained table.

What’s physically happening at each stage

Every stage marks how much water has boiled out of the syrup, not an arbitrary temperature checkpoint. Thread syrup is still mostly water carrying dissolved sugar — it pours and forms a thin, loose thread rather than holding any shape. Soft ball and firm ball have lost enough water that a drop gathers into a pliable lump in cold water, the range fudge, fondant, and caramels are built on. Hard ball syrup is dense enough to hold a firm shape under real pressure, which is why nougat and marshmallow bases live here. Past that, soft crack and hard crack syrup has almost no water left — it separates into threads that bend (soft crack) or snap clean like glass (hard crack) the instant it hits cold water, which is exactly the texture taffy and brittle are after. Above roughly 310°F/154°C at sea level, there is effectively no water left and the sucrose itself starts breaking down — caramelization — which is a different chemical process from every stage below it, not just a hotter version of the same one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the temperature band shift down at higher elevations?

Water — and sugar syrup, which is mostly water until the very end of the cook — boils at a lower temperature as air pressure drops. Every sugar stage is really a proxy for how much water is left in the syrup, so at altitude, the same water content is reached at a lower thermometer reading. Cook to a sea-level target without correcting for it and the syrup is pulled off with more residual water than the recipe expects, which is why fudge and other cooked-sugar candies commonly turn out soft, sticky, or won't set at altitude.

Is the altitude correction here exact?

No — it's the standard kitchen approximation of roughly 1°F for every 500ft of elevation (about 1°C per 300m), the same rule this page's FAQ and the sugar stage calculator both use. Actual atmospheric pressure varies with weather as well as elevation, so treat the corrected band as a starting target, then confirm with the cold-water test or a thermometer you've calibrated in your own boiling water at your own elevation.

How do I calibrate a thermometer for my elevation instead of using the table?

Bring plain water to a rolling boil and read the thermometer once it's stable. At sea level that should read 212°F (100°C); at altitude it will read lower. Whatever the difference is between your reading and 212°F, apply that same difference to every sugar-stage target in this table instead of the generic elevation estimate — it accounts for your specific location and the day's conditions, not just a rounded elevation figure.

Why do the Celsius numbers look like odd decimals instead of round numbers?

The reference values here are defined in Fahrenheit — the unit most candy-making sources and thermometers use — and converted to Celsius, so the Celsius figures land on ordinary conversion decimals rather than clean round numbers. Both columns come from the same underlying temperature.

Educational reference only. Stage ranges are standard values rounded for readability, and the altitude correction is a common kitchen approximation — confirm with a thermometer calibrated in your own boiling water, especially for a batch that has to turn out right.

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