Pork Loin Roast
cooking times
The answer
1 hr 10 min – 1 hr 30 minat 350°F
At the most common temperature, 350°F, a pork loin roast runs about 1 hr 10 min – 1 hr 30 min at 3.5 lb. Pick your temperature below for the full chart. Done is always 145°F internal.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·pork loin roast row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
USDA safe zone — 145°F and above
Done is a temperature, not a time. Every figure on this page is a planning range; the green band is the only part that decides. For a pork loin roast it opens at 145°F and a 10-minute rest.
Source—USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service safe minimum internal temperatures—retrieved 2026-07
How this is worked out
- Anchor. Start from what USDA FSIS publishes for a pork loin roast — its safe minimum internal temperature of 145°F, and the FSIS roasting timetable where one exists for this cut.
- Rate. Convert the anchor into a planning rate at 350°F: 20–25 min/lb, cross-checked against at least three independently published sources.
- Scale. Multiply that rate by your weight. A 3.5 lb piece lands at 1 hr 10 min – 1 hr 30 min; the range is widened to cover source disagreement rather than averaged into false precision.
- First check. The first thermometer reading is set at 85% of the low end of the range — early enough that an under-reading costs nothing and a late one cannot cost the meal.
- Gate. The time is only a plan. It is not done until a food thermometer reads 145°F in the thickest part, then rests about 10 minutes. Time never overrides temperature on this site.
- Round. Every printed figure is rounded to the nearest 5 minutes; precision beyond that would be invented.
plan_low = weight_lb × 20 min/lb
plan_high = weight_lb × 25 min/lb
first_check = plan_low × 0.85
DONE ⟺ internal_temp ≥ 145°F AND rest ≥ 10 min
(USDA FSIS — the gate, not the clock)
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·safe minimum for this cut·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Pick your temperature
Every temperature this chart room holds for a pork loin roast, each with its own worked ledger.
The whole cut, temperature by temperature
| Oven temp | Time for a 3.5 lb pork loin roast | Per pound |
|---|---|---|
| 350°F | 1 hr 10 min – 1 hr 30 min | 20–25 min/lb |
| 375°F | 1 hr 5 min – 1 hr 15 min | 18–22 min/lb |
SOURCE·USDA safe-temperature guidance·timing ranges derived, see method·REVIEWED JUL 2026
When it is actually done
145°F internal
The USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this cut is 145°F, followed by a rest of about 10 minutes. The clock estimates; the thermometer decides. Every time on this page is a planning range, not a doneness test.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·pork loin roast row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the ledger does not tell you
- Loin is not shoulder: it is lean, cooks fast and dries out past 150°F. Pull at 140–143°F and let carry-over finish it at 145°F.
- The 145°F rule (with a 3-minute rest) replaced the old 160°F guidance in 2011 — pink-at-the-centre pork loin is correct, not undercooked.
- Fat cap up, so it bastes the roast as it renders.
The clock tells you when to start looking. The thermometer tells you when to stop.
More pork timings
Pork Shoulder (Oven)
300°F · per-pound chart
Smoked Pork Butt
250°F · per-pound chart
Pork Tenderloin
400°F · 20 min – 25 min
Baby Back Ribs
250°F · 4 hr – 5 hr
Spare Ribs (St. Louis)
250°F · 4 hr 30 min – 5 hr 30 min
Ham (Fully Cooked, Bone-In)
325°F · per-pound chart
Fresh Ham (Uncooked)
325°F · per-pound chart
