In Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, what is the temperature at which paper burns?

In Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, paper is said to burn at 451 degrees Fahrenheit.

The temperature gives the novel its title and is associated with the firemen who burn books in Bradbury's future society. Instead of extinguishing fires, these state-employed firemen start them to destroy literature and suppress independent thought.

The title's scientific precision is memorable, but the real ignition temperature of paper varies with paper type, moisture, airflow, and other conditions. Bradbury adopted the figure after discussing it with a fireman, and it became a striking literary symbol rather than a universal laboratory constant.

The Celsius equivalent is about 233 degrees Celsius, not 451 degrees Celsius. That conversion is a common mix-up. The novel itself uses the Fahrenheit figure because it was written for an American readership and published in 1953.