Temperature · Unit Converter

Convert Delisle to Fahrenheit

Convert degrees delisle to degrees fahrenheit instantly. °F = 212 − (°De × 6/5) — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a reference-temperature table and worked examples. Also check the Fahrenheit to Delisle converter for the reverse conversion.

Written by Sunith Babu L, Ph.D., Lead Engineer Reviewed by Girish V Kulkarni Ph.D.
Temperature category 2 min read Published Last reviewed Updated

Units explained

Historical Scales

Delisle

What is a degree delisle?

The degree Delisle (°De) is a famously reversed scale: water boils at 0 °De and freezes at 150 °De, so numbers increase as temperature falls. One degree Delisle corresponds to exactly −2/3 of a kelvin.

Origin of the degree delisle

Invented by French astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle while directing the observatory in St. Petersburg, Russia; his thermometers were originally graduated by the contraction of mercury cooling down from the boiling point of water.

Where it is used

Widely used in 18th-century Russia for about a century. Today it appears only in the history of thermometry, where it is the textbook example of an inverted temperature scale.

When and where it was developed

Created by Joseph-Nicolas Delisle in St. Petersburg in 1732; recalibrated to the familiar 150-division form by Josias Weitbrecht in 1738.

Modern Standard Scales

Fahrenheit

What is a degree fahrenheit?

The degree Fahrenheit (°F) sets the freezing point of water at 32 °F and the boiling point at 212 °F, dividing the interval into 180 equal degrees. One degree Fahrenheit is exactly 5/9 the size of a kelvin, and °F = °C × 9/5 + 32 exactly.

Origin of the degree fahrenheit

Created by German-born physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, inventor of the reliable mercury-in-glass thermometer. His zero point was the temperature of an ice-and-salt brine mixture, and his original upper fixed point sat near human body temperature.

Where it is used

The official everyday scale of the United States and a handful of other countries. In India, clinical thermometers and fever readings are still very commonly quoted in Fahrenheit (a '102-degree fever'), which keeps °F to °C conversion a daily need.

When and where it was developed

Introduced by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1724 in Amsterdam, building directly on Ole Rømer's earlier scale, which Fahrenheit had studied during a 1708 visit to Copenhagen.

Delisle to Fahrenheit conversion formula

The exact relationship between degrees delisle and degrees fahrenheit:

°F = 212 − (°De × 6/5)
°De = 176.6666666667 − (°F × 5/6)

To convert degrees delisle to degrees fahrenheit, multiply the value by 6/5 and subtract the result from 212. To reverse, multiply the value by 5/6 and subtract the result from 176.6666666667.

Reference anchors: water freezes at 150 °De = 32 °F and boils at 0 °De = 212 °F (at standard atmospheric pressure).

How to use this converter

Type a value into the calculator. The result in degrees fahrenheit updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Fahrenheit to Delisle converter for the reverse direction.

Step-by-step: convert degrees delisle to degrees fahrenheit

  1. Write down the temperature in degrees delisle (°De).
  2. Multiply the value by 6/5 and subtract the result from 212.
  3. The result is the same temperature expressed in degrees fahrenheit (°F).
  4. To reverse, multiply the value by 5/6 and subtract the result from 176.6666666667 — or open the Fahrenheit to Delisle converter.

Worked examples

Example 1 — Convert 94.5 °De to °F (human body temperature):
212 − (94.5 × 6/5) = 98.6 °F

Example 2 — Convert 0 °De to °F (the boiling point of water):
212 − (0 × 6/5) = 212 °F

Delisle to Fahrenheit conversion table

Physically meaningful reference temperatures, from absolute zero to the surface of the Sun, converted from degrees delisle to degrees fahrenheit:

Delisle [°De]Fahrenheit [°F]Reference point
559.725-459.67Absolute zero
210-40Where Celsius and Fahrenheit coincide (−40°)
176.66666666670Zero Fahrenheit (0 °F)
15032Water freezes (0 °C / 32 °F)
149.98532.018Triple point of water
13550Cool day (10 °C / 50 °F)
12068Room temperature (20 °C / 68 °F)
112.577Standard laboratory temperature (25 °C)
10586Hot day (30 °C / 86 °F)
94.598.6Human body temperature (37 °C / 98.6 °F)
90104Heat-wave day (40 °C / 104 °F)
75122Hot tap water (50 °C / 122 °F)
0212Water boils (100 °C / 212 °F)
-120356Moderate baking oven (180 °C / 356 °F)
-8107.2759940.73Surface of the Sun (≈5,505 °C)

Frequently asked questions

What is 94.5 °De in °F?
94.5 °De equals 98.6 °F — normal human body temperature.
How do I convert degrees delisle to degrees fahrenheit?
Use the formula °F = 212 − (°De × 6/5): multiply the value by 6/5 and subtract the result from 212.
How do I convert degrees fahrenheit back to degrees delisle?
Apply the reverse formula °De = 176.6666666667 − (°F × 5/6) — multiply the value by 5/6 and subtract the result from 176.6666666667 — or use the Fahrenheit to Delisle converter.
At what temperature do the Delisle and Fahrenheit scales read the same number?
Both scales show the same number at 96.3636363636: 96.3636363636 °De = 96.3636363636 °F. Set °F = °De in the conversion formula and solve to verify it.
Can a temperature be below absolute zero?
No. Absolute zero (0 K = −273.15 °C = −459.67 °F) is the floor of the thermodynamic temperature scale. The calculator flags any input that would fall below it.

Convert Delisle to other temperature units

Show all Delisle conversions

Sources & references

Conversion relationship (°F = 212 − (°De × 6/5)) verified against the following authoritative sources:

Results are provided for general reference. Verify critical measurements against an authoritative standard.