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Temperature scale guide

Centigrade to Celsius Converter: Same Scale, Explained

Here is the whole secret up front: centigrade and Celsius are the same temperature scale. Centigrade was simply the original name, used from 1742 until it was officially renamed Celsius in 1948. Type any value below and watch the “conversion” happen.

What this page answers: is centigrade the same as Celsius, why there are two names, and the history behind the 1948 rename. The converter above performs the identity mapping (the number stays identical). For conversions between different scales, see our Celsius to Fahrenheit converter or the full temperature converter (°C, °F, K, °R, °Ré).

1.Centigrade to Celsius Calculator

Enter a temperature in degrees centigrade. The result in Celsius is identical: this centigrade to Celsius conversion needs no formula at all.

25 °C
Identical: no conversion needed
Also equals 77 °F · 298.15 K

Try -40: it is the one value that reads the same in centigrade and Fahrenheit.

2.Centigrade to Celsius Conversion: There Is None

The honest answer to every centigrade to Celsius conversion question.

The centigrade to Celsius formula is the identity function: °C = °centigrade. The number never changes because the two names describe one scale with the same zero point (the freezing point of water) and the same degree size.

So what is the difference between centigrade and Celsius? Nothing physical: only the name. Centigrade is the historical name (1742-1948); Celsius is the modern official name. A reading of 20 degrees centigrade on a vintage thermometer is exactly 20 °C on a modern one.

What does centigrade mean?

The word comes from Latin centum (hundred) and gradus (step): a scale of one hundred steps between water's freezing point (0) and boiling point (100). That is the entire centigrade definition: a 100-division scale anchored to water.

3.Why Two Names: A Short History of the Centigrade Scale

This short centigrade scale history traces the centigrade temperature scale from 1742 to the 1948 rename: how one scale got two names, and why the old one was retired.

  1. 1742

    Anders Celsius proposes the scale. Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744) publishes a 100-degree scale based on water's freezing and boiling points. Because of the 100 divisions, it is called the centigrade scale. Curiously, his original ran backwards: 0 marked boiling, 100 marked freezing.

  2. 1744

    The scale is flipped. Soon after Celsius's death the scale is inverted to the intuitive modern orientation (0 = freezing, 100 = boiling). Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is widely credited with popularizing the reversed form.

  3. 1742-1948

    Two centuries as centigrade. Scientists, weather observers, and thermometer makers worldwide use the name centigrade. The scale spreads from Sweden and France across the globe.

  4. 1948

    Renamed to Celsius. The 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) declares that degrees centigrade shall henceforth be called degrees Celsius, honoring Anders Celsius. A second reason: the word grade was also used for an angular unit (1/100 of a right angle in some languages), and the rename removed the ambiguity. The symbol stayed °C since both names start with C.

Why was centigrade renamed?

Two reasons drove the 1948 decision. First, the rename honored Anders Celsius, the Swedish astronomer who devised the scale in 1742. Second, it removed a real ambiguity: the word grade was also used for an angular unit (one hundredth of a grad), so calling a temperature unit centigrade invited confusion. Celsius was unambiguous, and the familiar °C symbol could stay.

4.Centigrade to Celsius Conversion Chart

Everyday reference temperatures. The centigrade and Celsius columns are identical by definition; Fahrenheit and kelvin equivalents are computed for convenience.

Reference pointCentigradeCelsiusFahrenheitKelvin
Absolute zeroColdest possible temperature-273.15-273.15-459.670
-40 crossover-40 is the same in centigrade and Fahrenheit-40-40-40233.15
Coldest recorded on Earth (Vostok, 1983)Antarctica weather station-89.2-89.2-128.56183.95
Home freezerTypical freezer setting-18-18-0.4255.15
Water freezesIce point at standard pressure0032273.15
RefrigeratorTypical fridge setting4439.2277.15
Room temperatureComfortable indoor air202068293.15
Warm summer dayHot weather303086303.15
Human body temperatureNormal core temperature373798.6310.15
Hottest recorded on Earth (Death Valley, 1913)Furnace Creek weather station56.756.7134.06329.85
Water boilsSteam point at standard pressure100100212373.15
Moderate ovenCommon baking temperature180180356453.15

Landmark checks: water freezes at 0 centigrade (32 °F), water boils at 100 centigrade (212 °F), and human body temperature is 37 centigrade (98.6 °F).

5.Centigrade Conversion Formulas

Centigrade to Celsius needs no formula, but you will often want the neighboring scales. Because centigrade equals Celsius, use the standard Celsius formulas.

Centigrade to Celsius
°C = °centigrade
Identity: 25 centigrade = 25 °C. The number never changes.
Centigrade to Fahrenheit
°F = °centigrade × 9/5 + 32
Example: 25 centigrade = 77 °F; 180 centigrade = 356 °F. Convert centigrade to Fahrenheit here.
Centigrade to Kelvin
K = °centigrade + 273.15
Example: 25 centigrade = 298.15 K. A one-degree step is the same size on both scales.

6.Where You Still See Centigrade Today

Is centigrade still used? Rarely in formal contexts, but the word survives.

  • Old thermometers: instruments made before or around 1948 are often marked in centigrade. Their readings are fully valid: read them as Celsius.
  • Vintage textbooks and recipes: oven temperatures in old cookbooks (for example 180 centigrade) equal the same number in Celsius (180 °C = 356 °F).
  • Legacy reference tables: engineering and medical tables printed before the rename still say centigrade. No adjustment is ever needed.
  • Everyday speech: some people who learned the old name keep saying centigrade out of habit. They mean Celsius.

In science, weather reporting, and medicine worldwide, the official name since 1948 is degree Celsius with the symbol °C.

7.Centigrade to Celsius: Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers about the centigrade scale, the name change, and the math.

Is centigrade the same as Celsius?
Yes. Centigrade and Celsius are two names for exactly the same temperature scale, so no conversion is ever needed: 25 degrees centigrade is 25 degrees Celsius, and 100 degrees centigrade is 100 degrees Celsius. Centigrade was simply the original name of the scale before it was officially renamed Celsius in 1948.
Why are there two names for the same temperature scale?
History. The scale was called centigrade from 1742 because it divides the range between the freezing and boiling points of water into 100 steps, from Latin centum (hundred) and gradus (step). In 1948 the 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures renamed it degree Celsius to honor its inventor, Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius, and to remove confusion with an angular unit that was also called the grade.
When was centigrade renamed to Celsius?
In 1948. The 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) declared that degrees centigrade should thereafter be called degrees Celsius. The symbol did not change: it stayed °C because both names start with the letter C, and the scale itself was untouched.
Who was Anders Celsius?
Anders Celsius (1701-1744) was a Swedish astronomer and mathematician. In 1742 he proposed a 100-degree temperature scale anchored to the freezing and boiling points of water, in a paper titled Observations on two persistent degrees on a thermometer. The modern scale kept his structure and took his name in 1948.
What does the word centigrade literally mean?
It comes from Latin centum, meaning hundred, and gradus, meaning step or degree. A centigrade scale is literally a scale of a hundred steps: 100 equal degrees between the freezing point (0) and the boiling point (100) of water.
Was the original Celsius scale backwards?
Yes. In Anders Celsius's 1742 proposal, 0 marked the boiling point of water and 100 marked the freezing point. The scale was flipped to the modern orientation soon after his death, and Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is widely credited with popularizing the reversed form. The 1948 rename to Celsius did not change the scale itself.
Do I need to convert centigrade to Celsius?
No. The centigrade to Celsius conversion is the identity function: the number stays exactly the same. 100 degrees centigrade equals 100 degrees Celsius, and 0 degrees centigrade equals 0 degrees Celsius. The converter at the top of this page demonstrates it: whatever you type in centigrade comes out identical in Celsius.
How do I convert centigrade to Fahrenheit?
Use the same formula as Celsius to Fahrenheit, because centigrade IS Celsius: multiply by 9/5 and add 32. For example, 25 degrees centigrade equals 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and 180 degrees centigrade equals 356 degrees Fahrenheit.
How do I convert centigrade to Kelvin?
Add 273.15, exactly as with Celsius. For example, 25 degrees centigrade equals 298.15 kelvin. Absolute zero is -273.15 degrees centigrade, which is 0 kelvin.
What is -40 centigrade in Fahrenheit?
-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Minus 40 is the famous crossover point where the centigrade/Celsius and Fahrenheit scales read the same number. In kelvin it is 233.15 K.
Is one degree centigrade the same size as one kelvin?
Yes. A one-degree step on the centigrade scale is exactly the same size as a one-kelvin step; the two scales differ only in where zero sits. That is why converting between them is a simple addition of 273.15.
Why does my old thermometer say centigrade instead of Celsius?
It was probably made before or shortly after the 1948 rename, when centigrade was still the everyday name. Its readings are fully valid: a thermometer marked in centigrade measures exactly the same temperatures as a modern Celsius thermometer, so read every value as °C.
Is centigrade still used today?
Rarely in formal contexts. The official international name since 1948 is degree Celsius, used in science, weather reports, and medicine worldwide. You still meet the word centigrade in old textbooks, vintage recipes, and older reference tables, but every value can be read directly as Celsius with no adjustment.
What is the symbol for centigrade?
°C, the same symbol as Celsius. When the scale was renamed in 1948 the symbol did not need to change, because both centigrade and Celsius start with the letter C.
What is normal body temperature in centigrade?
37 degrees centigrade, identical to 37 degrees Celsius, which equals 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If a vintage medical text gives a temperature in centigrade, read it as Celsius with no adjustment.
What is absolute zero in centigrade?
-273.15 degrees centigrade, exactly the same as -273.15 degrees Celsius. That equals -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit and 0 kelvin. Nothing can be colder, and the converter above flags any value below this as physically impossible.

8.Related Temperature Tools

Centigrade equals Celsius, so these converters work for centigrade values too.

Celsius to Fahrenheit Converter
Convert centigrade/Celsius readings to Fahrenheit with the exact formula, plus a quick reference table.
Temperature Converter
Convert between Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, Rankine, and Reaumur all at once, with oven and gas mark charts.

Free tool by NRTechStudio

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