Candy Temperature Chart by Altitude: Thread to Caramel

How to use it

Enter the Altitude (metres) where you cook, or 0 at sea level.
Choose the Sugar stage you need.
Read the Target temperature at your altitude and check your thermometer against that range.
Compare the Every stage table: the sea-level column is the standard chart, and the last column is for your altitude.

The sugar stages

As sugar syrup boils, its water evaporates and the sugar concentration rises, so the temperature climbs through a series of stages. Wikipedia's Candy making article says the final texture of candy depends on the sugar concentration, and uses temperature as the marker for that concentration. The table below is its sea-level chart.

Caramel runs from clear liquid at 160 °C (320 °F) to burnt sugar at 177 °C (351 °F). The brown liquid row of the same table is 170 °C (338 °F).

Stage	Sea level, °C	Sea level, °F
Thread	110–112	230–234
Soft ball	112–116	234–241
Firm ball	118–120	244–248
Hard ball	121–130	250–266
Soft crack	132–143	270–289
Hard crack	146–154	295–309
Caramel	160–177	320–351

How altitude moves the stages

Water boils at a lower temperature where the air pressure is lower. Wikipedia's Boiling point article gives 100 °C at sea level, 96.7 °C at 1,000 m, 93.4 °C at 2,000 m, 90.0 °C at 3,000 m and 67.4 °C at 9,000 m. This page moves each stage by the difference between the boiling point at your altitude and 100 °C.

shift = boiling point at your altitude − 100 °C
target = sea-level stage + shift, applied to both ends of the range

Between the table's rows, the boiling point is worked out in a straight line.
The article gives the boiling points, not the rule for the sugar stages. The shift is this page's method and is not a figure taken from the source.
The Candy making article says a candy thermometer "does not automatically adjust for local conditions such as altitude" and gives no adjustment.

What this page does not cover

Thermometer accuracy. A thermometer that reads high or low is not corrected here, so check it before you rely on a stage.
Recipes that give their own temperature. Use the recipe's figure with the same shift shown here.
Syrups with other ingredients. The table describes sugar cooking; it gives no figures for mixtures with other ingredients.

Worked example: soft ball at 1,500 m

At 1,500 m water boils at 95.1 °C, so the shift is 95.1 − 100 = −4.9 °C. Soft ball is 112–116 °C at sea level, so here it is 112 − 4.9 = 107.1 °C to 116 − 4.9 = 111.1 °C, which is 225–232 °F.

Hard crack, 146–154 °C at sea level, moves to 141.1–149.1 °C (286–300 °F) at the same altitude.

Stage	Sea level	At 1,500 m
Soft ball	112–116 °C (234–241 °F)	107.1–111.1 °C (225–232 °F)
Hard crack	146–154 °C (295–309 °F)	141.1–149.1 °C (286–300 °F)

Frequently asked questions

What temperature is soft ball?

On the sea-level chart, soft ball is 112 to 116 °C (234 to 241 °F). At 1,500 m this page moves it to 107.1 to 111.1 °C, which is 225 to 232 °F.

Why does altitude change candy temperatures?

Water boils at a lower temperature when the air pressure is lower, and each sugar stage moves by the same amount. At 3,000 m the boiling point is 90.0 °C, so every stage is 10 °C below its sea-level figure.

What is the caramel stage in degrees?

Wikipedia's chart runs caramel from clear liquid at 160 °C (320 °F) to burnt sugar at 177 °C (351 °F), with the brown liquid at 170 °C (338 °F). At sea level the caramel range is 160 to 177 °C.

Does this page correct my thermometer?

No. It moves the stages for altitude only. A thermometer that reads high or low is not corrected here, so check your thermometer yourself before you rely on a stage.

Can I use these stages for any sugar recipe?

They describe sugar syrup by its temperature. When a recipe gives its own temperature, use that figure with the same shift that this page applies to your altitude.

Sources

Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Result