Thermal conductivity is the quantity of heat transmitted through a unit thickness in a direction normal to a surface of unit area, due

to a unit temperature gradient under steady state conditions. Thermal conductivity of some common materials and products are indicated in the table below.

1 W/(m.K) = 1 W/(m.oC) = 0.85984 kcal/(hr.m.oC) = 0.5779 Btu/(ft.hr.oF)

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Acetone Acetylene (gas) Acrylic Air, athmosphere (gas) Alcohol Aluminum Aluminium Brass Aluminum Oxide Ammonia (gas) Antimony Apple (85.6% moisture) 0.16 0.018 0.2 0.024 0.17 205 121 30 0.022 18.5 0.39 215 250 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Argon (gas) Asbestos-cement board Asbestos-cement sheets Asbestos-cement Asbestos, loosely packed Asbestos mill board Asphalt Balsa wood Bitumen Bitumen/felt layers Beef, lean (78.9 % moisture) Benzene Beryllium Bitumen 0.016 0.744 0.166 2.07 0.15 0.14 0.75 0.048 0.17 0.5 0.43 - 0.48 0.16 218 0.17 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Blast furnace gas (gas) Brass Breeze block Brick dense Brickwork, common Brickwork, dense Butter (15% moisture content) Cadmium Calcium silicate Carbon Carbon dioxide (gas) Cement, portland Cement, mortar Chalk 0.02 109 0.10 - 0.20 1.31 0.6 -1.0 1.6 0.20 92 0.05 1.7 0.0146 0.29 1.73 0. 09 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Chlorine (gas) Chrome Nickel Steel (18% Cr, 8 % Ni) Clay, dry to moist Clay, saturated Cobalt Cod (83% moisture content) Concrete, lightweight Concrete, medium Concrete, dense Concrete, stone Constantan Copper Corian (ceramic filled) Corkboard 0.0081 16.3 0.15 - 1.8 0.6 - 2.5 69 0.54 0.1 - 0.3 0.4 - 0.7 1.0 - 1.8 1.7 22 401 1.06 0.043 400 398 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Cork, regranulated Cork Cotton wool Carbon Steel Cotton Wool insulation Diatomaceous earth (Sil-o-cel) Diatomite Earth, dry Engine Oil Ether Ethylene (gas) Epoxy Ethylene glycol Felt insulation 0.044 0.07 0.029 54 0.029 0.06 0.12 1.5 0.15 0.14 0.017 0.35 0.25 0.04 51 47 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Fibreglass Fibre insulating board Fibre hardboard Fireclay brick 500oC Foam glass Freon 12 (gas) Freon 12 (liquid) Gasoline Glass Glass, Pearls, dry Glass, Pearls, saturated Glass, window Glass, wool Insulation Glycerol 0.04 0.048 0.2 1.4 0.045 0.007 0.09 0.15 1.05 0.18 0.76 0.96 0.04 0.28 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Gold Granite Gravel Gypsum board Hairfelt Hardboard high density Hardwoods (oak, maple..) Helium (gas) Honey (12.6% moisture content) Hydrochlor acid (gas) Hydrogen (gas) Hydrogen sulfide (gas) Ice (0oC, 32oF) Insulation materials 310 1.7 - 4.0 0.7 0.17 0.05 0.15 0.16 0.142 0.5 0.013 0.168 0.013 2.18 0.035 - 0.16 125 312 225 310

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Iridium Iron Iron, wrought Iron, cast Kapok insulation Kerosene Krypton (gas) Lead Pb Leather, dry Limestone Magnesia insulation (85%) Magnesite Magnesium Marble 147 80 59 55 0.034 0.15 0.0088 35 0.14 1.26 - 1.33 0.07 4.15 156 2.08 - 2.94 68 60 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Mercury Methane (gas) Methanol Mica Milk Mineral wool insulation materials, wool blankets .. Molybdenum Monel Neon (gas) Nickel Nitrogen (gas) Nylon 6 Oil, machine lubricating SAE 50 Olive oil 8 0.030 0.21 0.71 0.53 125 225

0.04

138 26 0.046 91 0.024 0.25 0.15 0.17

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Oxygen (gas) Paper Paraffin Wax Perlite, atmospheric pressure Perlite, vacuum Plaster light Plaster, metal lath Plaster, sand Plaster, wood lath Plastics, foamed (insulation materials) Platinum Plywood Polyethylene HD Polypropylene 0.024 0.05 0.25 0.031 0.00137 0.2 0.47 0.71 0.28 0.03 70 0.13 0.42 - 0.51 0.1 - 0.22 71 72 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Polystyrene, expanded Polystyrol Polyurethane foam Porcelain Potato, raw flesh Propane (gas) PTFE PVC Pyrex glass Quartz mineral Rock, solid Rock, porous volcanic (Tuff) Rock Wool insulation Rubber, natural 0.03 0.043 0.03 1.5 0.55 0.015 0.25 0.19 1.005 3 2-7 0.5 - 2.5 0.045 0.13 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Salmon (73% moisture content) Sand, dry Sand, moist Sand, saturated Sandstone Sawdust Sheeps wool Silica aerogel Silicone oil Silver Slag wool Slate Snow (temp < 0oC) Sodium 0.50 0.15 - 0.25 0.25 - 2 2-4 1.7 0.08 0.039 0.02 0.1 429 0.042 2.01 0.05 - 0.25 84 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Softwoods (fir, pine ..) Soil, with organic matter Soil, saturated Steel, Carbon 1% Stainless Steel Straw slab insulation, compressed Styrofoam Sulfur dioxide (gas) Sugars Timber Tin Sn Zinc Zn Urethane foam Vermiculite 0.12 0.15 - 2 0.6 - 4 43 16 0.09 0.033 0.0086 0.087 - 0.22 0.14 67 116 0.021 0.058 17 19 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Vinyl ester Water Water, vapor (steam) Wheat flour Wood across the grain, white pine Wood across the grain, balsa Wood across the grain, yellow pine, timber Wood, oak Wool, felt Wood wool, slab Xenon (gas)

125

225

0.25 0.58 0.016 0.45 0.12 0.055 0.147 0.17 0.07 0.1 - 0.15 0.0051

1 W/(m.K) = 1 W/(m.oC) = 0.85984 kcal/(h.m.oC) = 0.5779 Btu/(ft.h.oF) = 0.048 Btu/(in.h.oF) What is conductive heat transfer?

Example - Conductive Heat Transfer through a Aluminum versus Stainless Steel Pot
The conductive heat transfer through a pot wall can be calculated as

q / A = k dT / s where q / A = heat transfer per unit area (W/m2) k = thermal conductivity (W/mK) dT = temperature difference (oC) s = wall thickness (m)
Conductive Heat Transfer through Aluminum Pot Wall with thickness 2 mm and temperature difference 200oC

q / A = 250 (W/mK) 200 (oC) / 2 10-3 (m) = 25000 (kW/m2)

Conductive Heat Transfer through Stainless Steel Pot Wall with thickness 2 mm and temperature difference 200oC

q / A = 16 (W/mK) 200 (oC) / 2 10-3 (m) = 1600 (kW/m2)