Meat Doneness Guide
Look up safe internal temperatures for beef, pork, poultry, fish, and ground meat in Celsius and Fahrenheit, with the USDA safe minimum highlighted. Includes a temperature converter. Calculates in your browser.
Safe minimum
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Internal temperature guide
| Doneness | °C | °F |
|---|
Show the math
Celsius and Fahrenheit convert linearly:
°F = °C × 9⁄5 + 32
Safe minimums are from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service chart: 145°F (62.8°C) plus a 3-minute rest for beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts; 160°F (71.1°C) for ground meat; 165°F (73.9°C) for all poultry; 145°F for fish. USDA says to check with a food thermometer that food has reached these temperatures before you take it off the heat. Measure at the thickest part, away from bone. Only steaks, chops and roasts cooked past 145°F can come off a few degrees early to finish while they rest, and never before they read 145°F.
What this does
A meat doneness guide lists safe internal temperatures for beef, pork, poultry, fish, and ground meat in Celsius and Fahrenheit, with the USDA safe minimum highlighted.
How to use it
- Pick your meat.
- Read the temperature for each doneness.
- Check the USDA safe minimum.
- Use the built-in temperature converter.
How it works
USDA says to check with a food thermometer that food has reached its safe minimum before you take it off the heat. Steaks, chops and roasts then rest at least 3 minutes. Only a whole cut cooked past 145°F can come off a few degrees early and finish while it rests, and never before it reads 145°F. Poultry and ground meat must reach the full safe temperature at the thickest part before they leave the heat.
poultry: 165°F / 73.9°C
whole cuts: 145°F / 62.8°C + 3 min rest
ground meat: 160°F / 71.1°C
Understanding your result
The highlighted figures are USDA safe minimums, the floor for food safety. Beef doneness follows the Beef Checkoff, whose medium rare is that 145°F minimum, medium 160°F and well done 170°F; for lamb, veal and pork the guide shows only the USDA minimum, and cooking further is personal preference. Carryover heat is not a way to reach 145°F: leave the meat on the heat until it reads at least 145°F, then rest it. Poultry and ground meat have no safe rare or medium and must reach 165°F and 160°F before they come off the heat.
Example
Medium rare beef is 145°F (62.8°C): leave the steak on the heat until the thickest part reads at least 145°F, then rest it 3 minutes. For medium (160°F / 71.1°C) you can take it off a few degrees early, but not before it reads 145°F.
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
What temperature is medium steak?
The Beef Checkoff puts medium beef at 160°F (71.1°C), medium rare at 145°F (62.8°C) with a 3-minute rest, and well done at 170°F (76.7°C). Medium rare is also USDA’s safe minimum for steaks, chops and roasts, so the guide lists nothing below it.
What is the safe temperature for chicken?
Poultry must reach 165°F (73.9°C) all the way through. Unlike beef, there is no safe rare or medium for chicken and turkey.
Can I take meat off the heat early and let it finish while resting?
USDA says to check that meat has reached its safe minimum before you remove it from the heat. For steaks, chops and roasts cooked past 145°F (such as medium or well done beef), carryover heat during the rest raises the center a few degrees, so you can take them off a little before your target, but never before the thermometer reads 145°F (62.8°C). Never do this with poultry or ground meat: they must reach 165°F and 160°F before they leave the heat.
Is my data stored?
No. Everything is calculated locally in your browser.
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