Water boils at about 100 °C (212 °F) at normal sea‑level pressure.

Quick Scoop: What temp is boiling?

The super short answer

  • At sea level, the boiling point of water is:
    • 100 °C
    • 212 °F
    • About 373 K

But it’s not always exactly 100 °C

The boiling point changes with air pressure.

  • Higher altitude (mountains) → lower air pressure → water boils below 100 °C.
  • Below sea level or in high pressure (like a pressure cooker) → water boils above 100 °C.

Impurities like dissolved salts make water boil at a slightly higher temperature, a phenomenon called “boiling point elevation.”

Why that temperature?

Water boils when its vapor pressure equals the surrounding atmospheric pressure, so bubbles can form and escape throughout the liquid, not just at the surface.

At standard pressure (1 atm), that balance happens at about 100 °C, which is why that number is used in definitions of the Celsius scale.

In everyday cooking, “boiling” just means a rolling, continuous bubbling — even if the exact temperature is a degree or two off depending on where you are.

TL;DR:

  • Normal answer: 100 °C / 212 °F.
  • Real‑world twist: altitude, pressure, and impurities can nudge that number up or down.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.