Roast Cooking Time Calculator
Work out roasting time, oven temperature, resting time and internal temperature for any joint by weight.
Pick a cut and enter the weight — the timings update as you type.
- Oven temperature
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- Cooking time
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- Resting time
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- Total (cook + rest)
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- Target internal temp
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- Take it out at
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- Rate used
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- Put it in the oven at
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Times are a planning guide based on published roasting charts. Ovens, starting temperature and the shape of a joint all move the clock, so a meat thermometer in the thickest part — away from bone — is the only reliable doneness test. Food-safety temperatures come from the USDA: 63 °C / 145 °F with a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal, and 74 °C / 165 °F for all poultry and any stuffing.
How it works
The calculator uses the classic minutes-per-pound method from the USDA FSIS roasting charts:
cooking time = minutes per pound × weight in pounds + a fixed allowance, rounded to
the nearest 5 minutes. Every cut carries its own oven temperature and rate — a bone-in rib roast
runs at 160 °C / 325 °F at about 24 minutes per pound for medium rare, a whole chicken
at 175 °C / 350 °F at 20 minutes per pound plus 15 minutes, an unstuffed turkey at
160 °C / 325 °F at 13 minutes per pound. For beef and lamb the doneness selector shifts
that rate by 3 minutes per pound per step, from rare (−3) through medium rare (the chart figure)
up to well done (+9).
Metric weights are converted with 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg before the rate is applied, so kilograms and pounds always agree. Resting is scaled with the joint — roughly 10 minutes plus 5 minutes per kilogram, capped at 45 minutes for a big turkey — and the "take it out at" temperature allows for carry-over cooking, which keeps pushing the centre up by a few degrees after the roast leaves the oven. Tick fan / convection and the displayed setting drops by 20 °C (about 25 °F) while the time stays the same, which is the standard conversion. Give it a serving time and it works backwards to tell you when the roast has to go in.
Everything is arithmetic done in your browser — no uploads, no accounts, no ads, and the page keeps working offline once it has loaded.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you cook a roast per pound?
It depends on the cut and the oven temperature. Using the USDA FSIS roasting charts: a bone-in beef rib roast takes about 24 minutes per pound at 160 °C / 325 °F for medium rare, a boneless pork loin about 20 minutes per pound at 175 °C / 350 °F, an unstuffed whole turkey about 13 minutes per pound at 160 °C / 325 °F, and a whole chicken about 20 minutes per pound plus 15 minutes at 175 °C / 350 °F. This calculator applies the right rate for the cut you pick and adds a resting time scaled to the weight.
What internal temperature should a roast reach?
The USDA recommends a minimum of 63 °C / 145 °F followed by a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal, and 74 °C / 165 °F for all poultry and any stuffing. Restaurant doneness levels for beef and lamb run lower — roughly 52 °C / 125 °F rare, 57 °C / 135 °F medium rare, 63 °C / 145 °F medium and 71 °C / 160 °F well done. Because the centre keeps rising while the meat rests, the calculator also shows a lower take-it-out temperature.
Do I need to change the time for a fan or convection oven?
No — keep the time and drop the temperature. The standard conversion is 20 °C (about 25 °F) below the conventional setting, so a 180 °C recipe becomes 160 °C fan. Tick the fan-oven box and the calculator shows the reduced setting next to the conventional one and the gas mark. Fan ovens do cook a little faster, so start checking with a thermometer 10–15 minutes before the calculated finish.