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About the ham cooking time calculator
Choose your type of ham and type its weight. The calculator tells you how long it needs in the oven, the minutes per pound, the safe inside temperature, the rest time and how many people it feeds.
There are many kinds of ham, and they cook very differently. A fully cooked spiral ham only needs to be warmed up. A fresh ham is raw pork and needs hours. The times and temperatures on this page come from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS): its "Timetable for Cooking Ham" (in *Hams and Food Safety*) and its safe minimum internal temperature chart.
Read the label first. It tells you if your ham is fully cooked, must be cooked before eating, or is a fresh (uncured) ham.
Features
- 15 kinds of ham — the full USDA timetable: cook-before-eating, fully cooked, fresh and country ham
- Total time and minutes per pound — or per kg
- The USDA safe temperature — 145 °F with a 3-minute rest, or 140 °F / 165 °F to reheat
- 325 °F or 350 °F — the USDA chart is for 325 °F; 350 °F is our estimate
- Servings — how many people your ham feeds
- Pounds or kg — the weight box changes with the unit
- The USDA table — every cut of your ham type, with your row marked
USDA safe temperatures for ham
Use a food thermometer in the thickest part of the ham, not touching the bone. From the USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature chart:
| Ham | Safe minimum inside temperature |
|---|---|
| Fresh ham (raw) | 145 °F (63 °C), then rest at least 3 minutes |
| Smoked ham, cook before eating | 145 °F (63 °C), then rest at least 3 minutes |
| Fully cooked ham, packaged in a USDA-inspected plant — to reheat | 140 °F (60 °C) |
| Fully cooked ham, all others (for example repackaged, or leftovers) — to reheat | 165 °F (74 °C) |
A fully cooked ham from a USDA-inspected plant is also safe cold, right out of the package.
USDA ham cooking times at 325 °F (163 °C)
The USDA times are for an oven set to 325 °F, with the ham on a rack in a shallow pan.
| Ham | Weight | Minutes per lb | Done at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked, cook before eating: whole, bone-in | 10–14 lb | 18–20 | 145 °F + 3 min |
| Half, bone-in | 5–7 lb | 22–25 | 145 °F + 3 min |
| Shank or butt portion, bone-in | 3–4 lb | 35–40 | 145 °F + 3 min |
| Arm picnic shoulder, boneless | 5–8 lb | 30–35 | 145 °F + 3 min |
| Shoulder roll (butt), boneless | 2–4 lb | 35–40 | 145 °F + 3 min |
| Smoked, fully cooked: whole, bone-in | 10–14 lb | 15–18 | 140 °F |
| Half, bone-in | 5–7 lb | 18–24 | 140 °F |
| Arm picnic shoulder, boneless | 5–8 lb | 25–30 | 140 °F |
| Canned ham, boneless | 3–10 lb | 15–20 | 140 °F |
| Vacuum packed, boneless | 6–12 lb | 10–15 | 140 °F |
| Spiral cut, whole or half | 7–9 lb | 10–18 | 140 °F |
| Fresh ham, uncooked: whole leg, bone-in | 12–16 lb | 22–26 | 145 °F + 3 min |
| Whole leg, boneless | 10–14 lb | 24–28 | 145 °F + 3 min |
| Half, bone-in | 5–8 lb | 35–40 | 145 °F + 3 min |
Country ham: soak it 4–12 hours in the fridge, cover it with water and simmer 20–25 minutes per pound. Drain, glaze and brown at 400 °F (204 °C) for 15 minutes.
Cooking times for common hams
The total time is the weight × the minutes per pound. At 350 °F the calculator takes off about 10% — our own estimate from a simple heat formula, not a USDA figure.
| Ham | Weight | At 325 °F (USDA) | At 350 °F (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spiral cut, fully cooked | 8 lb | 1 h 20 min – 2 h 25 min | 1 h 10 min – 2 h 10 min |
| Half, bone-in, fully cooked | 6 lb | 1 h 50 min – 2 h 25 min | 1 h 35 min – 2 h 10 min |
| Whole, bone-in, fully cooked | 12 lb | 3 h – 3 h 35 min | 2 h 40 min – 3 h 15 min |
| Half, bone-in, cook before eating | 6 lb | 2 h 10 min – 2 h 30 min | 2 h – 2 h 15 min |
| Fresh ham, whole leg, bone-in | 14 lb | 5 h 10 min – 6 h 5 min | 4 h 35 min – 5 h 30 min |
Worked example
The page opens on a fully cooked spiral-cut ham of 8 lb at 325 °F.
- Time: 8 lb × 10–18 min = 80–144 minutes, so 1 h 20 min – 2 h 25 min
- Reheat it until the inside reaches 140 °F (60 °C) — or 165 °F (74 °C) if it was not packaged in a USDA-inspected plant
- Cover it with foil, so the slices do not dry out
- It feeds about 16–24 people: the USDA counts ⅓–½ lb of bone-in ham per serving
How much ham per person?
The USDA suggests ¼–⅓ lb of boneless ham or ⅓–½ lb of bone-in ham per serving. The table rounds up to the next half pound.
| Guests | Boneless ham | Bone-in ham |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1.5–2 lb | 2–3 lb |
| 10 | 2.5–3.5 lb | 3.5–5 lb |
| 16 | 4–5.5 lb | 5.5–8 lb |
| 24 | 6–8 lb | 8–12 lb |
Frequently asked questions
How long do I cook a ham per pound?
At 325 °F, a fully cooked half ham with the bone takes 18–24 minutes per pound, a spiral-cut ham 10–18 minutes, and a cook-before-eating whole ham 18–20 minutes. A fresh ham takes longer: 22–40 minutes per pound, by cut.
What temperature should a ham reach?
A fresh ham or a cook-before-eating ham must reach 145 °F (63 °C) and rest at least 3 minutes. To reheat a fully cooked ham from a USDA-inspected plant, heat it to 140 °F (60 °C). Heat all other cooked ham, and leftovers, to 165 °F (74 °C). Source: USDA FSIS.
How long do I heat a spiral ham?
About 10–18 minutes per pound at 325 °F, covered with foil — so 1 h 20 min – 2 h 25 min for an 8 lb ham. The USDA says to heat it to 140 °F. A spiral ham is also safe to eat cold.
Can I cook a ham at 350 °F?
Yes. The USDA says not to cook ham in an oven set below 325 °F. Its chart is for 325 °F. At 350 °F the calculator uses about 10% less time, but always check with a thermometer.
Should I cover the ham?
Cover a spiral-cut or fully cooked ham loosely with foil, so it does not dry out. Take the foil off for the last 15–20 minutes if you add a glaze.
Is this time exact?
No. Ovens and hams differ. The times are a guide — the thermometer decides when the ham is ready.
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How to use it
- Choose the Type of ham — the label tells you if it is fully cooked, cook before eating, fresh or country ham
- Type the Weight, or tap one of the Weight buttons. Change the Unit to kg if you like
- Pick the Oven temperature: 325 °F (the USDA chart) or 350 °F
- Read the cooking time, the minutes per pound and the safe inside temperature
- Check the ham with a food thermometer before you serve it, and press Copy to keep the result
