Free Temperature Log SheetChoose the kind of sheet, set your columns, check the preview, then print or save it as a PDF. No sign-up, and nothing you type is uploaded.

How to make a temperature log in 3 steps

1. 1

   Choose the kind of log

   Fridge and freezer, several units twice a day, cooking, cooling, hot holding, deliveries, or room temperature and humidity. Each starts with the usual columns, which you can rename, widen, move, remove or add to.

2. 2

   Add your units and a note

   List the fridges and freezers to print them in the first column, and write the rule your staff should follow, such as when to check and what to do when a reading is off.

3. 3

   Print and post it

   Print a month of pages and keep them on a clipboard by the fridge or the line, with a pen and a thermometer.

Which temperature log do you need?

• Fridge and freezer: date, time, the fridge and freezer readings, initials and what was done about a reading out of range.
• Several units, twice a day: each fridge or freezer on its own row, with morning and evening readings.
• Cooking: the food, the temperature it reached and when.
• Cooling: the food’s temperature when cooling starts and at two later checks.
• Hot holding: food kept hot on a line or buffet, checked twice.
• Deliveries received: supplier, item, temperature on arrival and whether it was accepted.
• Room temperature and humidity: for stock rooms, pharmacies, server rooms or storage.

Safe temperatures

For food at home, the US Food and Drug Administration says: “Keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40° F (4° C)” and “The freezer temperature should be 0° F (-18° C).”

Restaurants, cafes and other food businesses follow the food code their state or local health department uses, which sets the temperatures for cold holding, cooking, cooling and hot holding and how long to keep logs. Ask your health department or inspector; this page does not set them.

Use a thermometer you trust and check it now and then; the dial on a fridge is not a reading.

Tips for a temperature log that works

• Change “°F” to “°C” in the column names if you measure in Celsius.
• Write the safe range in the note at the top, so everyone knows what “out of range” means.
• Fill in “Action taken” every time a reading is off: moved the food, called for repair, threw it out.
• Check at the same times every day, such as at opening and closing.
• Keep finished pages in a folder by month, for your own records and for inspections.

Checked in October 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.

• FDA: Are You Storing Food Safely?