Thermal conductivity

In physics, thermal conductivity (often denoted k, λ, or κ) is the property of a material to conduct heat. It is evaluated primarily in terms of Fourier's Law for heat conduction.

Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate across materials of low thermal conductivity than across materials of high thermal conductivity. Correspondingly, materials of high thermal conductivity are widely used in heat sink applications and materials of low thermal conductivity are used as thermal insulation. The thermal conductivity of a material may depend on temperature. The reciprocal of thermal conductivity is called thermal resistivity.

Thermal conductivity is actually a tensor, which means it is possible to have different values in different directions. See #Thermal anisotropy below.

In SI units, thermal conductivity is measured in watts per meter kelvin (W/(m·K)). The dimension of thermal conductivity is M¹L¹T⁻³Θ⁻¹. These variables are mass (M), length (L), time (T), and temperature (Θ). In Imperial units, thermal conductivity is measured in BTU/(hr·ft⋅°F).

Other units which are closely related to the thermal conductivity are in common use in the construction and textile industries. The construction industry makes use of units such as the R-value (resistance) and the U-value (conductivity). Although related to the thermal conductivity of a material used in an insulation product, R- and U-values are dependent on the thickness of the product.

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