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Kelvin to Celsius Converter

Convert kelvin to Celsius instantly, with a reference table covering cryogenics, light colour temperature and stellar surfaces.

Kelvin to Celsius Converter

1 K = -272.15 °C

Multiply kelvins by 1, then add -273.15, to get degrees Celsius.

The link carries the values you entered, so whoever opens it sees the same result. Nothing is stored on our side — the numbers travel in the link itself.

Kelvins to degrees Celsius reference table

The conversions people look up most often, rounded to 2 decimal places.

Common kelvins to degrees Celsius conversions
Kelvin (K)Degree Celsius (°C)
0 K-273.15 °C
77 K-196.15 °C
100 K-173.15 °C
200 K-73.15 °C
273.15 K0 °C
293 K19.85 °C
300 K26.85 °C
310 K36.85 °C
373.15 K100 °C
1,000 K726.85 °C
2,700 K2,426.85 °C
5,000 K4,726.85 °C
6,500 K6,226.85 °C

How the kelvin to celsius converter calculation works

The degrees are the same size, so:

°C = K − 273.15

Most people arrive here from one of two places, and they are almost unrelated.

Light bulbs. A bulb's "colour temperature" in kelvin is not how hot it gets — it is the temperature a theoretical black body would need to be to glow that colour. A 2700 K warm white bulb is not 2,426°C; it is a bulb whose light matches what an object at that temperature would emit. Converting it to Celsius is meaningless in practice, though the arithmetic still works:

  • 2700 K — warm white, the incandescent look
  • 4000 K — neutral white
  • 5000 K — daylight
  • 6500 K — cool daylight, the standard for colour-matching

Confusingly, higher kelvin looks "cooler" to the eye, because blue light comes from hotter sources than orange light.

Cryogenics and physics, where the conversion is real:

  • 0 K → −273.15°C — absolute zero
  • 4.2 K → −268.95°C — liquid helium, the coolant for superconducting magnets in MRI scanners
  • 77 K → −196.15°C — liquid nitrogen
  • 195 K → −78.15°C — dry ice sublimation
  • 273.15 K → 0°C — water freezes
  • 5772 K → 5,498.85°C — the Sun's surface

Write it as "77 K", not "77°K". The degree symbol was dropped in 1967; kelvin is an absolute unit and takes no degrees.

To convert back, add 273.15.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert kelvins to degrees Celsius?

Multiply the Celsius temperature by 9/5 (1.8), then add 32.

How many degrees Celsius are in 273.15 K?

273.15 K equals 0.00 °C. The reference table on this page lists the other values people look up most often.

How do I convert degrees Celsius back to kelvins?

Subtract 32 first, then multiply by 5/9. Doing it in the other order gives the wrong answer.

Is this conversion exact?

Yes. The relationship between Celsius and Fahrenheit is defined exactly, so the only imprecision comes from rounding the result.

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