SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/elec-arc-flash-temp

An arc flash can reach temperatures of up to about how many degrees Fahrenheit?

Arc flash can hit 35,000 F, hotter than the sun's surface.

Start playing free

  1. 3,500
  2. 35,000 ✔
  3. 350

Why: An arc is current jumping through ionized air after a flashover or short circuit. The heat is enough to vaporize metal, which is why arc-rated clothing and distance matter.

Huh, didn't know that: A university safety presentation says that temperature is about four times the sun's surface temperature.

The dad joke
I tried to start a band called The Short Circuits, but we kept blowing our first set.
Like this card?
Play the game

References

Answer: 35,000. An arc is current jumping through ionized air after a flashover or short circuit. The heat is enough to vaporize metal, which is why arc-rated clothing and distance matter.

  1. Murray State University Arc Flash Safety Presentation murraystate.edu/about/Offices/esh/OccupationalSafetyHealth/media/Arc_Flash_Safety_Presentation.pdf
    up to 35,000 degrees F
    Checked 2026-10-10.

Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.

Test yourself in the game

Trades & ShopThe arc flash boundary is the distance at which incident energy equals what?Trades & ShopYou see an open disconnect switch. Does that prove the circuit beyond it is dead?Trades & ShopAt a minimum, how often should you test a GFCI?

That's stuff everyone should know.