Chocolate
Quick answer
Dark couverture melts to 115 to 120 F, cools to 82 to 84 F to set the right crystal, then comes back to 88 to 90 F to work. Milk and white run cooler at every step, because they carry less cocoa solid and more milk solid and sugar.
Updated 2026. Worked from published standards and trade convention; researched, not professional advice.
Published melt, cool and working temperature ranges by chocolate type, with the seeding quantities.
melt, cool to set the crystal, then return to working temperature
The three step shape is the same for every type: melt fully, cool to seed the crystal you want, then bring back to working temperature and hold it there. Only the numbers move, and they move because the cocoa butter fraction differs.
The seeding method is the easiest at home: melt two thirds of your chocolate, then stir in the remaining third off the heat as seed. The unmelted chocolate carries the crystal structure you want and drags the whole batch into it as it cools.
Compound coatings and candy melts are not couverture and do not need tempering at all. They set hard because they are made with vegetable fat rather than cocoa butter, which is also why they never quite taste like chocolate.
Derived, published or convention?
These are PUBLISHED working ranges from couverture manufacturer charts. Makers print slightly different numbers for their own recipes, so the bag beats this chart. The two thirds seeding split is TRADE CONVENTION.
| Chocolate | Melt to (F) | Cool to (F) | Work at (F) | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark couverture | 115 to 120 | 82 to 84 | 88 to 90 | Highest cocoa solid and cocoa butter content |
| Milk couverture | 110 to 115 | 80 to 82 | 86 to 88 | Milk solids and sugar in place of cocoa solids |
| White couverture | 105 to 110 | 78 to 80 | 84 to 86 | No cocoa solids at all, sets on cocoa butter alone |
These are rendered from the verified catalog and re-ordered against your numbers once you calculate.
A one second reading, which is what makes it usable for Swiss meringue where you are holding a whisk in the other hand and the syrup is still climbing.
Best for: Swiss and Italian meringue, and sugar work
Check price on AmazonAmazon prices move often, so check before you buy.
An infrared gun reads the surface of a chocolate bowl without putting a probe in it, which is how you check a temper without seeding the chocolate off a cold probe.
Best for: checking chocolate surface temperature
Check price on AmazonAmazon prices move often, so check before you buy.
Marble stays below room temperature, which is why it is the traditional surface for tempering chocolate by tabling and for rolling fondant without it going sticky.
Best for: tabling chocolate and rolling fondant
Check price on AmazonAmazon prices move often, so check before you buy.
A note on what this can and cannot tell you
This calculator does arithmetic on the numbers you give it. It does not know your oven, your recipe or your altitude. Figures are labelled as derived, published or trade convention, and where no honest figure exists the calculator says so instead of producing one. Researched guidance, not professional advice.
