Three minutes is the egg-timer standard: the length of a soft-boiled egg, a boxing round and a pop song. The countdown starts as soon as this page loads.
Three minutes is the original egg timer duration and still the default in most kitchens. It is also the length of a standard boxing round, which is why it appears in so many training apps.
Three minutes is one professional boxing round, one average pop song, a soft-boiled egg with a liquid yolk, or a French press brew at full strength. In a presentation it is roughly 400 spoken words — about one and a half double-spaced pages.
Useful when a recipe, workout plan or exam paper states the time differently:
| 3 minutes in… | Value |
|---|---|
| Seconds | 180 |
| Minutes | 3 |
| Hours (decimal) | 0.0500 |
| Fraction of an hour | 1/20 of an hour |
| How many fit in an hour | 20 |
| How many fit in a day | 480 |
The countdown above is already running. When it reaches zero VClock plays your chosen alarm, flashes the display and updates the browser tab title, so you will notice even if you have moved to another window. Press Stop Alarm to silence it or Reset to run the same 3 minutes again.
You can change the alarm sound at any point before or during the countdown — Beep, Digital, Alarm Bell, Chime, Siren and Soft Wake are all available, and each plays a short preview when selected. To use a different length, press Reset and type any duration, or pick one from the main timer page.
Need something else? Try a little shorter with the 2 minute timer or a little longer with the 4 minute timer.
Lower a fridge-cold egg into already-boiling water, start this 3 minute timer immediately, then move the egg straight into cold water. Three minutes gives a fully runny yolk; add a minute for a jammy centre.
Three minutes of continuous work sits right at the edge of the anaerobic system's capacity, which is what makes the format so demanding. Amateur bouts often use 2 minute rounds instead.
Yes — the countdown begins as soon as the page loads, so there is nothing to press. If you would rather start it yourself, press Reset and then Start.
Yes. Pause holds the remaining time exactly where it is; Resume continues from that point and Reset returns the clock to the full 3 minutes.
VClock plays your selected alarm sound on a loop, flashes the display and changes the browser tab title. Press Stop Alarm to silence it.
Completely. There is no sign-up, no download, no daily limit and no watermark — set it as many times as you like.
Switch to the VClock alarm clock to ring at a specific hour instead of counting down.
Open the Alarm Clock