Candy temperature stages chart

Soft ball is 234 to 240°F, firm ball 244 to 248°F, hard ball 250 to 260°F, soft crack 270 to 284°F and hard crack 300 to 308°F at sea level. Lower each by 2°F per 1,000 feet of altitude.

Free, no sign-up · Updated November 4, 2026

Stage you want

Your altitudeUnit

Your thermometer reads (°F), to name the stage

Cook to

—–—°F

In Celsius: –°C
Lowered by: °F
Used for

The stages

Sugar syrup stages at sea level
Stage	°F	°C	Used for
Soft ball	234–240	112–116	Cream candies, fillings
Firm ball	244–248	118–120	Chew candies
Hard ball	250–260	121–127	Pull candies, fillings and frosting with egg whites
Soft crack	270–284	132–140	Toffees
Hard crack	300–308	149–153	Brittles

Colorado State University Extension: for each 1,000 feet above sea level, reduce the temperatures in the recipe by 2°F.

How it is calculated

Your target = sea-level temperature − 2°F × (altitude in feet ÷ 1,000).
Celsius = (°F − 32) × 5 ÷ 9.

Worked example

Soft ball at 240°F at sea level is 230°F at 5,000 feet.

Sources

Colorado State University Extension, Candy Making at High Elevation
Table 1 stages (soft ball 234-240°F to hard crack 300-308°F) and "reduce the temperatures by 2°F for each 1,000 feet above sea level".

Numbers checked November 4, 2026.

Questions

What temperature is soft ball?

234 to 240°F at sea level. Colorado State lists cream candies and fillings at this stage.

What temperature is hard crack?

300 to 308°F at sea level. Colorado State lists brittles at this stage.

Why does altitude change the temperature?

Water boils at a lower temperature higher up, so the syrup reaches the same stage at a lower temperature. Colorado State says to lower each target by 2°F for every 1,000 feet.

Where is caramel?

This chart follows the Colorado State table, which stops at hard crack. Caramelized sugar goes beyond it.

What are the stage names?

They come from the cold-water test: a drop of syrup in cold water forms a soft ball, a firm ball, a hard ball, and then threads that crack. The thermometer reading is the faster way to get there.