Caramel Stage Temperature Calculator

About this calculator

Candy making relies on the boiling point of a sugar syrup as a stand-in for its water content and final texture — as sugar water boils, water evaporates and the boiling point climbs in a predictable curve from about 100°C to well over 170°C. Classic stages mark specific points on that curve: thread at roughly 110–112°C (230–235°F), soft-ball at 112–116°C (235–240°F), progressing through firm-ball, hard-ball, soft-crack and hard-crack around 149–154°C (300–310°F), where the syrup is essentially pure sucrose with almost no water left.

Past hard-crack, continued heating triggers the Maillard and caramelization reactions rather than water loss, producing light, medium and dark caramel roughly between 160°C and 180°C and beyond — each shade trading sweetness for the bitter, nutty notes that define caramel sauce, pralines and brittle. Professional confectioners rely on a calibrated candy thermometer rather than the older cold-water-ball folk test because a few degrees separates a chewy caramel from a burnt one.