Cooking Time Calculator
Estimate how long to roast beef, lamb, pork, chicken, or turkey from the cut and its weight, using the USDA roasting charts. Get the oven temperature, the time range, and the safe internal temperature. Calculates in your browser.
Total cooking time
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Show the math
Every time comes from a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service roasting chart. For beef, lamb and pork the chart gives minutes per pound for each cut and weight range (a few cuts, like tenderloin, give a total time instead):
time = USDA minutes per lb × weight in lb
Beef and lamb roast at 325°F (163°C) and pork at 350°F (177°C), with tenderloins hotter, all to USDA's single target of 145°F (62.8°C) then a 3-minute rest; USDA's beef times assume meat straight from the fridge (40°F). Turkey reads the 325°F timetable by weight, stuffed or unstuffed; whole chicken the 350°F chart (Cornish hen, broiler-fryer, roasting hen), adding 15 to 30 minutes when stuffed. A weight between two chicken rows spans the gap between them, and a weight outside a chart gets no time.
These are guide times, not a guarantee. Ovens, cuts, and bone all change the result, so confirm with a food thermometer. USDA says to check the temperature before you take food out of the oven: 145°F (62.8°C) at the thickest part for beef, pork, veal and lamb roasts, then a 3-minute rest; 165°F (73.9°C) for all poultry, in the thigh, wing and thickest part of the breast.
What this does
A cooking time calculator estimates how long to roast beef, lamb, pork, chicken, or turkey from the cut and its weight, using the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service roasting charts, with the safe internal temperature.
How to use it
- Choose the meat.
- Pick the cut, or stuffed / unstuffed for poultry.
- Enter the weight in kg or lb.
- Read the total time, target temperature, and when to take it out.
How it works
Beef, lamb and pork use the USDA “Farm to Table” charts by cut and weight: beef and lamb at 325°F (163°C), pork at 350°F (177°C), tenderloins hotter, all cooked to 145°F (62.8°C) and rested 3 minutes. USDA gives no separate times for rare or well done, and a weight outside a cut’s chart gets no time. Turkey uses the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service timetable for a 325°F (163°C) oven, stuffed or unstuffed, from 4 to 24 lb. Whole chicken uses the USDA chart for a 350°F oven (Cornish hen, broiler-fryer, roasting hen), adding 15 to 30 minutes when stuffed.
beef, lamb, pork: time = USDA minutes per lb for the cut × weight
turkey, chicken: USDA roasting chart by weight
Understanding your result
The time is a planning estimate, not a guarantee, because joint shape, bone, and starting temperature all shift it. USDA says to check the temperature with a food thermometer before the food leaves the oven: beef, lamb and pork must read at least 145°F (62.8°C) at the thickest part, then rest 3 minutes; poultry must read 165°F (73.9°C) in the thigh, wing and thickest part of the breast.
Example
A 5 lb (2.3 kg) bone-in beef rib roast takes 1 h 55 min to 2 h 5 min at 325°F (USDA: 23 to 25 min per lb). A 16 lb (7.3 kg) unstuffed turkey takes 3¾ to 4¼ hours at 325°F, per USDA’s 14 to 18 lb row.
Sources & methodology
- USDA FSIS, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, 145°F + 3-minute rest for whole cuts, 160°F ground meat, 165°F poultry
Last updated .
Frequently asked questions
How is the cooking time worked out?
Every time comes from a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service chart. For beef, lamb and pork the chart gives minutes per pound for each cut and weight range (beef and lamb at 325°F, pork at 350°F, tenderloins hotter with a total time). Turkey and chicken read the USDA roasting charts by weight: 325°F for turkey and 350°F for chicken.
Why is there no rare or well-done option?
USDA’s charts give one target for beef, lamb and pork roasts, 145°F (62.8°C) then a 3-minute rest, and no times for other doneness levels. If you like it more done, keep roasting and go by the thermometer.
Why does my weight show no time?
Each USDA chart row covers a weight range for that cut. Outside it the calculator does not guess; roast at the chart’s oven temperature and go by a food thermometer.
Should I still use a thermometer?
Yes. Times are guides only — ovens, cuts, bone, and starting temperature all vary. Check the internal temperature at the thickest point and rest the meat before carving.
Is my data stored?
No. Everything is calculated locally in your browser.
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