Kelvin to Celsius
Convert kelvin (K) to celsius (°C). Both measure thermal measurement, and the conversion comes up in weather, cooking, science work.
The Formula
``
°C = K − 273.15
`
Temperature scales have different zero points, so this is not a simple multiplication —
you cannot convert a temperature *difference* the same way you convert a temperature.
Conversion Table
| Kelvin | Celsius |
|---|---|
| -40 K | -313.15 °C |
| 0 K | -273.15 °C |
| 10 K | -263.15 °C |
| 20 K | -253.15 °C |
| 25 K | -248.15 °C |
| 30 K | -243.15 °C |
| 37 K | -236.15 °C |
| 50 K | -223.15 °C |
| 100 K | -173.15 °C |
The Other Direction
| Celsius | Kelvin |
|---|---|
| -40 °C | 233.15 K |
| 0 °C | 273.15 K |
| 10 °C | 283.15 K |
| 20 °C | 293.15 K |
| 25 °C | 298.15 K |
| 30 °C | 303.15 K |
| 37 °C | 310.15 K |
| 50 °C | 323.15 K |
| 100 °C | 373.15 K |
What Each Unit Is
Kelvin (K) — the SI base unit of temperature, with zero at absolute zero and the same step size as Celsius. Proposed by William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) in 1848 as an absolute thermodynamic scale.
Celsius (°C) — a scale on which water freezes at 0 °C and boils at 100 °C at standard pressure. Proposed by Anders Celsius in 1742 — originally inverted, with 0 as boiling — and flipped after his death.
A Sense of Scale
Absolute zero is 0 K- Water freezes at 273.15 K
- Room temperature is about 293 K
- Room temperature is 20–22 °C
- Body temperature is 37 °C
- A hot summer day is 30 °C
Watch Out For
- Kelvin takes no degree sign: it is "293 K", never "293 °K".
- Temperature scales have different zero points, so conversion is not a multiplication. Use °F = °C × 9/5 + 32.
In Code
`javascript
const kelvinToCelsius = (value) =>
value - 273.15;
`
Where This Conversion Comes Up
Weather- Cooking
- Science
- HVAC
- Medicine
Why This Is Not a Multiplication
Every other unit conversion is a ratio: doubling the input doubles the output. Temperature
is not, because the two scales put their zero in different places.
Kelvin Celsius Water freezes 273.15K 0°C Water boils 373.15K 100°C Zero means absolute zero the freezing point of water Degrees between freezing and boiling 100 100
So the conversion has two parts: scale the degree size by
1 (the degrees are the same size), then shift
the origin.A Temperature and a Temperature Difference Are Different Things
This is the error that reaches production code. Converting "it is 20K" and
converting "it rose by 20K" are not the same operation:
Quantity Conversion An absolute temperature Scale and shift A difference or a rate Scale only
A rise of 1°C is a rise of 1.8°F, not 33.8°F. Weather APIs, thermostat deltas and materials
data all carry differences, and a converter applied blindly to them is wrong by the offset.Negative Values and Absolute Zero
Celsius and Fahrenheit both go below zero; Kelvin does not. Absolute zero is 0 K, −273.15 °C
and −459.67 °F, and no temperature below it exists — a converter returning a negative Kelvin
value has been given an impossible input.
−40 is the one temperature where Celsius and Fahrenheit agree. It falls out of solving
x = x × 9/5 + 32, and it is a useful sanity check: if your conversion does not produce
−40 °F for −40 °C, the formula is wrong.
In Code
`javascript
// Absolute temperatures
const cToF = (c) => c * 9 / 5 + 32;
const fToC = (f) => (f - 32) * 5 / 9;
const cToK = (c) => c + 273.15;
// Differences — scale only, never shift
const deltaCToF = (dc) => dc * 9 / 5;
`
Note that Kelvin takes no degree sign: it is written 293 K, never 293 °K`.