Specific heat is the energy needed to raise one kilogram of a material by one degree. It governs how fast a part heats up or cools down. This chart compares common materials.
| Material | J/kg-K | BTU/lb-F |
|---|---|---|
| Water (reference) | 4186 | 1.00 |
| Magnesium | 1020 | 0.243 |
| Aluminum | 900 | 0.215 |
| Titanium | 520 | 0.124 |
| Stainless steel | 500 | 0.120 |
| Carbon steel | 490 | 0.117 |
| Cast iron | 460 | 0.110 |
| Copper | 385 | 0.092 |
| Brass | 380 | 0.091 |
| Bronze | 375 | 0.090 |
| Nylon | 1700 | 0.41 |
| Acetal (Delrin) | 1460 | 0.35 |
| ABS | 1300 | 0.31 |
| Polycarbonate | 1200 | 0.29 |
| PTFE | 1000 | 0.24 |
How much heat it holds. A high specific heat means a material absorbs a lot of energy per degree. Aluminum holds nearly twice the heat per kilogram of steel, which matters for heat sinks and cookware.
FAQ
Why does specific heat matter for choosing a heat sink or cookware material? A material with higher specific heat absorbs more energy per degree of temperature rise, which is useful for storing heat evenly (like cast iron cookware) but less useful for a heat sink, where you generally want heat to move through and away from the material quickly via high thermal conductivity instead.
See the Thermal Conductivity Chart and the Material Density Chart.
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