A French oven setting written as “thermostat 6” or “Th 6” means 180 °C, which is 356 °F; set a US oven to 350 °F. The rule is thermostat × 30 = °C. Th 7 is 210 °C (about 400-425 °F) and Th 5 is 150 °C (about 300 °F).
Oven converter
| Thermostat | °C | °F exact | US dial | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Th 1 | 30 °C | 86 °F | 75 °F | barely warm |
| Th 2 | 60 °C | 140 °F | 150 °F | drying, warming |
| Th 3 | 90 °C | 194 °F | 200 °F | very low: meringues |
| Th 4 | 120 °C | 248 °F | 250 °F | low: slow cooking |
| Th 5 | 150 °C | 302 °F | 300 °F | moderate: custards, cheesecake |
| Th 6 | 180 °C | 356 °F | 350 °F | moderately hot: most cakes |
| Th 7 | 210 °C | 410 °F | 400 °F | hot: tarts, choux, puff pastry |
| Th 8 | 240 °C | 464 °F | 475 °F | very hot: bread |
| Th 9 | 270 °C | 518 °F | 525 °F | very hot: pizza |
| Th 10 | 300 °C | 572 °F | 575 °F | broil-level |
The thermostat scale (each step = 30 °C) is the convention used on older French gas and electric ovens and in French recipes; see for example mesdepanneurs.fr. °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. “US dial” rounds to the nearest 25 °F.
Fan ovens: chaleur tournante
Many French recipes are written for a fan oven (chaleur tournante or four ventilé). If your US oven has no convection setting, many bakers add about 20 °C (about 25 °F) to the stated temperature; if it does, use the convection setting at the stated temperature. Watch the first bake and check doneness early.
Questions people ask
What temperature is thermostat 7?
210 °C, or 410 °F. Use 400 °F or 425 °F depending on the recipe; tarts usually do well at 400 °F.
What is 180 °C in Fahrenheit?
356 °F. US recipes use 350 °F.
Do French recipes give oven temperatures in Fahrenheit?
No. They use °C, and older ones use the thermostat number.
Cite this page: Mangez Moi, “French Oven Temperatures: Thermostat to °C and °F,” mangezmoi.com, updated October 6, 2026, https://mangezmoi.com/french-oven-temperatures/. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit and a link.