Convert Fahrenheit (°F) & Celsius (°C)
Convert to Fahrenheit
- T = Celsius
Convert to Celsius (centigrade)
- T = Fahrenheit
Examples
1. Convert 37°C to Fahrenheit.
The answer is 98.6°F.
2. Convert 98.6°F to Celsius.
The answer is 37°C
Medical Relevance
- Core temperature
- The temperature of the deep tissues of the body—the “core” of the body—remains almost exactly constant, within ±1°F (±0.6°C), day in and day out except when a person febrile illness.
- Normal core temperature
- The average normal core temperature is generally considered to be between 98.0° and 98.6°F when measured orally and about 1°F higher when measured rectally.
- Hyperpyrexia
- Occurs between 105—108°F. Circulatory shock, cell destruction and organ failure are followed by death.
- Hypothermia
- Occurs between 94—77°F. Once the core temperature falls below 85°F temperature regulation is lost. Death by cardiac arrest or ventricular fibrillation occurs once body temperature falls to 77°F.
Temperature Assessment Sites
- Pulmonary artery (most accurate)
- Esophageal
- Bladder
- Rectal
- Tympanic
- Oral
- Axillary
- Forehead (least accurate)
| Rectal | Oral | Tympanic | Axillary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C° | 37.5 | 37 | 36.8 | 36.4 |
| F° | 99.5 | 98.6 | 98.2 | 97.6 |
| Rectal | Tympanic | Oral | Axillary | Forehead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C° | 37.04 | 36.64 | 36.57 | 35.97 | 35.09 |
| F° | 98.67 | 97.95 | 97.82 | 96.74 | 95.16 |
References
- Lillis, C., LeMone, P., LeBon, M., & Lynn, P. (2010). Fundamentals of nursing: The art and science of nursing care. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
- Hall, J. E., & Hall, M. E. (2020). Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology e-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.
- Dante, A., Franconi, I., Marucci, A. R., Alfes, C. M., & Lancia, L. (2020). Evaluating the interchangeability of forehead, tympanic, and axillary thermometers in Italian paediatric clinical settings: Results of a multicentre observational study. Journal of pediatric nursing, 52, e21-e25.
- Geneva, I. I., Cuzzo, B., Fazili, T., & Javaid, W. (2019, April). Normal body temperature: a systematic review. In Open Forum Infectious Diseases (Vol. 6, No. 4, p. ofz032). US: Oxford University Press.
- Ng, D. K. K., Chan, C. H., Chan, E. Y. T., Kwok, K. L., Chow, P. Y., Lau, W. F., & Ho, J. C. S. (2005). A brief report on the normal range of forehead temperature as determined by noncontact, handheld, infrared thermometer. American journal of infection control, 33(4), 227-229.
- Coran, A. G., Caldamone, A., Adzick, N. S., Krummel, T. M., Laberge, J. M., & Shamberger, R. (2012). Pediatric surgery E-book (Vol. 2). Elsevier Health Sciences.
- Robinson, J. L., Seal, R. F., Spady, D. W., & Joffres, M. R. (1998). Comparison of esophageal, rectal, axillary, bladder, tympanic, and pulmonary artery temperatures in children. The Journal of pediatrics, 133(4), 553-556.