Thermal Conductivity Converter Formula
Understand the math behind the thermal conductivity converter. Each variable explained with a worked example.
Formulas Used
BTU/(hr·ft·°F)
btu_per_hrftf = w_per_mk * 0.5778cal/(s·cm·°C)
cal_per_scmk = w_per_mk * 0.002388Variables
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
w_per_mk | Thermal Conductivity(W/(m·K)) | 1 |
How It Works
How to Convert Thermal Conductivity Units
Formula
BTU/(hr·ft·°F) = W/(m·K) x 0.5778
Thermal conductivity describes how well a material conducts heat. The SI unit is Watts per meter-Kelvin. The imperial unit is BTU per hour-foot-degree Fahrenheit. The conversion factor of 0.5778 combines the energy conversion (W to BTU/hr), length conversion (m to ft), and temperature conversion (K to °F interval).
Reference Values
| Material | W/(m·K) | |---|---| | Copper | 401 | | Aluminum | 237 | | Glass | 1.0 | | Wood | 0.12-0.17 |
Worked Example
Convert 1 W/(m·K) to BTU/(hr·ft·°F).
w_per_mk = 1
- 01Apply the conversion factor: 1 W/(m·K) = 0.5778 BTU/(hr·ft·°F)
- 02BTU/(hr·ft·°F) = 1 * 0.5778 = 0.5778
- 03Also: 1 W/(m·K) = 0.002388 cal/(s·cm·°C)
Ready to run the numbers?
Open Thermal Conductivity Converter