Does Calphalon cookware have PFAS?
Calphalon cookware averages 40 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 8 Calphalon cookware products graded as of October 2026, above the 15 out of 100 median for the 46 other cookware brands graded alongside it.
Calphalon cookware averages Poor on our four-band scale. 4 of the 8 we graded are worth buying. That is above 71% of the cookware brands we grade.
PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Grades are model-based, built from published ingredients, materials, certifications, brand disclosures and third-party lab results where they exist. See the rubric.
What Calphalon says and does about PFAS
Calphalon’s range includes both hard-anodized nonstick and ceramic nonstick cookware, and the two are not the same chemistry. Independent testing by the Ecology Center found PTFE, a fluoropolymer, on a Calphalon hard-anodized nonstick fry pan. We could not load Calphalon’s own product disclosure page to confirm what it currently lists for each line, so check the grade of the exact pan you are buying.
- Independent testThe Ecology Center’s 2020 cookware testing found PTFE on the Calphalon Hard-anodized Nonstick 12 in Fry Pan, which was labelled with an easy release nonstick finish. Ecology Center ↗
- Independent testThe Ecology Center’s Healthy Stuff Lab scraped coating from nonstick pans and identified the composition by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. It reported PTFE fluoropolymer on the Calphalon Hard-Anodized Nonstick 12 inch fry pan. Ecology Center Healthy Stuff Lab ↗
- Independent testThe same lab reported that most pans in its study labelled PFOA-free were coated with PTFE without disclosing it, which is why a PFOA-free label cannot be read as a PFAS-free label. Ecology Center Healthy Stuff Lab ↗
Sources checked October 1, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.
Calphalon cookware worth buying Good or better, best-graded first
Calphalon
Classic Stainless Steel Fry Pan
- stainless steel, uncoated cookware
- Nickel leaching from stainless steel, 18/10 stainless steel can release trace nickel into acidic foods during…
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Calphalon
Stainless Steel Fry Pan
- stainless steel, bare uncoated
- Nickel leaching from stainless steel, Stainless steel cookware can release trace amounts of nickel into…
Calphalon
Classic 10-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set
- stainless steel, bare cookware
- Nickel and chromium leaching, Stainless steel naturally contains chromium and nickel; while leaching is…
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Calphalon
Stainless Steel 3-Piece Cookware Set
- stainless steel, no nonstick coating
- Nickel and chromium leaching (stainless steel), Stainless steel cookware can release small amounts of nickel…
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Graded and flagged Poor and Bad, we’d swap these
Calphalon
Classic Non-stick
- Teflon-type coating thermal decomposition / fume risk, Teflon-type coating coatings are stable at normal…
4 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Calphalon
Hard-Anodized Nonstick Frying Pan Set
- Teflon-type coating or similar Teflon-family coating fume risk, If Calphalon uses traditional Teflon-type…
4 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Calphalon
Premier Hard-Anodized Nonstick 13" Deep Skillet with Lid
- Teflon-type coating nonstick fume risk, Calphalon Premier hard-anodized cookware coating chemistry is not…
3 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Calphalon
Hard-Anodized Nonstick 12" Jumbo Frying Pan with Lid
- Aluminum leaching, Hard-anodization reduces but does not eliminate aluminum migration into acidic or salty…
4 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Better cookware from other brands
Graded higher than the Calphalon average of 40.
Made In
Stainless Clad Fry Pan
- Stainless steel clad construction, no nonstick coating
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Clad separation or delamination over time
Made In
10' Stainless Clad Frying Pan
- stainless steel clad construction, no nonstick coating
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Nickel leaching from stainless steel
3 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Heritage Steel
Eater Fry Pan
- Clad stainless steel, no coating
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Metal ion release during cooking (iron, nickel, chromium)
The same question, asked of the other cookware brands
Best average grade first. Calphalon averages 40.
See every Calphalon product we grade on the Calphalon brand page, or the full cookware ranking.