Specific Heat Capacity Chart

Specific heat capacity for 45 liquids, gases, metals, plastics and building materials, in J/kg·K and BTU/lb·°F — the number that decides how much heat a material stores.

Data verified 2026-09-29 · based on NIST Standard Reference Database 69, 2023 release

Quick Answer

Specific Heat Capacity of Common Materials

Values are for 20 °C and constant pressure unless the row says otherwise. Specific heat is not constant — it rises with temperature for most solids, and for gases it differs between constant pressure (c_p) and constant volume (c_v), with the ratio between them setting the speed of sound. The table lists both air values because the difference matters: 1 005 J/kg·K is the constant-pressure figure used for airflow and HVAC work, and 718 is the constant-volume figure used for closed vessels and compressors.

What Specific Heat Actually Tells You

Specific heat is the energy needed to raise one kilogram of a material by one kelvin. It answers two questions that come up constantly in design work: how much heat will this part absorb before its temperature rises, and how much energy will this material store.

The governing relationship is Q = m·c_p·ΔT. The mass is the whole part, not the surface — a copper heat sink has a lower specific heat than an aluminium one, but copper's density is 3.3 times higher, so a copper sink of the same volume stores about 1.4 times as much heat per degree. This is why thermal mass calculations need density as well as specific heat, and why comparing specific heats alone can mislead.

The related quantity is volumetric heat capacity, which is density × specific heat. Water's is 4.18 MJ/m³·K, the highest of any common material — about twice concrete's and 3 300 times air's. That single figure explains why water is the default heat-transfer fluid, why hydronic heating works at all, and why a building with concrete floors holds its temperature so much longer than one with timber floors.

Why Metals Feel Cold and Wood Feels Warm

The sensation of temperature when you touch a material is governed by how fast heat leaves your hand, not by the material's temperature. Both a steel plate and a wooden board at 20 °C are at the same temperature; the steel feels colder because it draws heat from your skin far faster.

Two properties drive that: thermal diffusivity, which combines conductivity, density and specific heat, and the volumetric heat capacity. Steel's thermal conductivity is roughly 50 W/m·K against wood's 0.15 — a factor of 300 — and that dominates. The specific heat column is part of the explanation but rarely the main part.

The same reasoning applies to tooling and to machining. A low specific heat means a small energy input produces a large temperature rise, which is one reason titanium (523 J/kg·K) is so difficult to machine: the heat generated by cutting stays in the chip and the tool instead of being carried away by a large thermal mass. Aluminium, at 900 J/kg·K and with three times the thermal conductivity, carries heat away far more effectively and cuts much cooler.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the specific heat of water?

4 182 J/kg·K at 20 °C — the highest of any common material, and the reason water is the default heat-transfer fluid. In imperial units that is almost exactly 1.0 BTU/lb·°F, which is not a coincidence: the BTU was originally defined as the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Water's specific heat varies slightly with temperature, reaching about 4 218 J/kg·K at 0 °C.

Why do metals have low specific heat?

Because heat energy in a metal is stored mainly in the vibration of a small number of heavy atoms rather than in molecular bonds. Aluminium at 900 J/kg·K is the highest of the common metals, copper is 385 and lead only 128. The practical effect is that metal parts heat and cool quickly — good for heat sinks that must respond fast, poor for thermal storage.

What is the difference between cp and cv?

c_p is specific heat at constant pressure and c_v at constant volume. They are equal for solids and liquids, and differ for gases by the work the gas does as it expands — air's c_p is 1 005 J/kg·K and its c_v is 718, a ratio of 1.4. Use c_p for open systems and airflow, and c_v for closed vessels and compressor calculations.

How do I calculate how much heat a part absorbs?

Q = m·c_p·ΔT. So a 2 kg aluminium block (c_p = 900) absorbing 180 kJ of heat rises by 180 000 ÷ (2 × 900) = 100 K. For a part where mass matters more than specific heat, compare volumetric heat capacity instead — density × c_p. Aluminium's is 2.43 MJ/m³·K and copper's 3.44, which is why a copper heat sink of the same volume stores more heat.

Which material stores the most heat per unit volume?

Water, at about 4.18 MJ/m³·K. Among solids, copper reaches 3.44 MJ/m³·K thanks to its high density, and concrete about 2.1. Air is 1.2 kJ/m³·K — 3 400 times less than water — which is why air-based thermal storage needs enormous volumes and why water or a phase-change material is used instead wherever space is limited.

Related

• Thermal Conductivity Chart
• Density Chart
• Boiling Point Chart
• Thermal Expansion Calculator
• Heat Transfer Coefficient Chart
• Pressure Conversion Chart

Value Sources

Each data column on this page is tied to the source it came from. The numbers in square brackets correspond to the table headers above.

Data Sources

Cross-checked against:

• Water and air values checked against the NIST reference data
• Metal values checked against the material data sheets already published on this site where they overlap
• The BTU conversion verified against the defining relationship 1 BTU/lb·°F = 4186.8 J/kg·K
• Air held as both cp and cv rows so the ratio can be checked — it must be 1.4

Derived values — the following values on this page are calculated, not taken directly from the standard:

Values are for 20 °C at constant pressure. Specific heat varies with temperature — for solids it generally rises — and for gases the constant-pressure and constant-volume values differ substantially. Values for alloys, plastics and building materials are typical figures for the class; a specific grade's data sheet should be used where the heat balance is critical.

Cite This Page

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