The emissivity of the surface of a material is its effectiveness in emitting energy as thermal

radiation. Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation that may include both visible radiation
(light) and infrared radiation, which is not visible to human eyes. The thermal radiation from
very hot objects (see photograph) is easily visible to the eye. Quantitatively, emissivity is the
ratio of the thermal radiation from a surface to the radiation from an ideal black surface at the
same temperature as given by the Stefan–Boltzmann law. The ratio varies from 0 to 1. The
surface of a perfect black body (with an emissivity of 1) emits thermal radiation at the rate of
approximately 448 watts per square metre at room temperature (25 °C, 298.15 K); all real objects
have emissivities less than 1.0, and emit radiation at correspondingly lower rates

Absorptivity[edit]

Main article: Kirchhoff's law of thermal radiation

There is a fundamental relationship (Gustav Kirchhoff's 1859 law of thermal radiation) that
equates the emissivity of a surface with its absorption of incident radiation (the "absorptivity" of
a surface). Kirchhoff's Law explains why emissivities cannot exceed 1, since the largest
absorptivity - corresponding to complete absorption of all incident light by a truly black object -
is also 1.[7] Mirror-like, metallic surfaces that reflect light will thus have low emissivities, since
the reflected light isn't absorbed. A polished silver surface has an emissivity of about 0.02 near
room temperature. Black soot absorbs thermal radiation very well; it has an emissivity as large as
0.97, and hence soot is a fair approximation to an ideal black body.[13][14]

With the exception of bare, polished metals, the appearance of a surface to the eye is not a good
guide to emissivities near room temperature. Thus white paint absorbs very little visible light.
However, at an infrared wavelength of 10x10−6 metres, paint absorbs light very well, and has a
high emissivity. Similarly, pure water absorbs very little visible light, but water is nonetheless a
strong infrared absorber and has a correspondingly high emissivity

In addition to the total hemispherical emissivities compiled in the table above, a more complex
"directional spectral emissivity" can also be measured. This emissivity depends upon the
wavelength and upon the angle of the outgoing thermal radiation. Kirchhoff's law actually
applies exactly to this more complex emissivity: the emissivity for thermal radiation emerging in
a particular direction and at a particular wavelength matches the absorptivity for incident light at
the same wavelength and angle. The total hemispherical emissivity is a weighted average of this
directional spectral emissivity; the average is described by textbooks on "radiative heat transfe
Mild steel of 20-25 mm thick is used for ship construction

Emissivity of

Material emissivity
aluminum 0.07
Mild steel 0.20 - 0.32
Cement 0.96
Cement Red 0.67
Cement White 0.65
White paint 0.95