candy

Sugar Temperature Chart: Candy Stages by °F/°C (2026)

Sugar Temperature Chart: Candy Stages by °F/°C (2026) The sugar temperature chart maps seven candy stages: thread (230-235°F / 110-113°C), soft ball (235-240°F / 113-116°C), firm ball (245-250°F / 118-121°C), hard ball (250-265°F / 121-129°C), soft crack (270-290°F / 132-143°C), hard crack (300-310°F / 149-154°C), and caramel (320-350°F / 160-177°C). Each stage marks a higher sugar concentration and a firmer final texture, so a 5-10°F difference is what separates fudge from caramel and toffee from burnt sugar. When I first started making caramels, I pulled the pot off the heat at 240°F instead of the 245°F firm-ball target, and the whole batch set into sauce instead of chewy squares. After losing three batches in one December, I clipped a $19 digital probe to the pot and started treating every 5°F stage window as a hard line. Since then I have cooked sugar through all seven stages, from 230°F thread syrup...