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Thermal Conductivity Converter

Convert thermal conductivity between W/(m·K), BTU/(h·ft·°F), BTU·in/(h·ft²·°F), cal/(s·cm·°C) and other units.

What this tool does

Convert thermal conductivity between W/(m·K), BTU/(h·ft·°F), BTU·in/(h·ft²·°F), cal/(s·cm·°C) and other units. Type an amount in watts per meter kelvin, choose the units, and the tool converts it to BTU (International Table) per hour foot degree Fahrenheit. It offers 8 thermal conductivity units and also shows the same amount in the others.

Inputs

  • Value: A number.
  • From: Choose one: Watt per meter kelvin, Watt per meter degree Celsius, Watt per centimeter kelvin, Kilowatt per meter kelvin, BTU (International Table) per hour foot degree Fahrenheit, BTU (International Table) inch per hour square foot degree Fahrenheit, Calorie (thermochemical) per second centimeter degree Celsius, Kilocalorie (International Table) per hour meter degree Celsius. Starts as Watt per meter kelvin.
  • To: Choose one of the same 8 units as "From". Starts as BTU (International Table) per hour foot degree Fahrenheit.

How to use

  1. Enter the amount you want to convert.
  2. Choose the unit to convert from and the unit to convert to.
  3. Read the result: the converted amount and the same amount in the other units. It appears once every required field has a valid value.

Worked examples

Conversions from watts per meter kelvin to BTU (International Table) per hour foot degree Fahrenheit:

  • 1 W/(m·K) ≈ 0.577789 BTU (IT)/(h·ft·°F)
  • 5 W/(m·K) ≈ 2.888947 BTU (IT)/(h·ft·°F)
  • 10 W/(m·K) ≈ 5.777893 BTU (IT)/(h·ft·°F)
  • 50 W/(m·K) ≈ 28.889466 BTU (IT)/(h·ft·°F)
  • 100 W/(m·K) ≈ 57.778932 BTU (IT)/(h·ft·°F)

Multiply the number of watts per meter kelvin by about 0.577789 to get BTU (International Table) per hour foot degree Fahrenheit. The factor follows from exact definitions. It has more digits than fit here, so it is shown rounded.

Sources: Watt per meter kelvin: SI Brochure, 9th edition (2019). BTU (International Table) per hour foot degree Fahrenheit: NIST SP 811 (2008), Appendix B.9.

Limitations

  • Converts the unit of a thermal conductivity only. It does not look up the conductivity of a material or work out heat flow.
  • W/(m·K) and W/(m·°C) are the same size, because a difference of one kelvin equals a difference of one degree Celsius.

FAQs

Q: How do I convert W/(m·K) to BTU/(h·ft·°F)?
A: One W/(m·K) is about 0.5778 BTU (International Table) per hour foot degree Fahrenheit. Going the other way, one BTU/(h·ft·°F) is about 1.7307 W/(m·K).
Q: What is the difference between BTU/(h·ft·°F) and BTU·in/(h·ft²·°F)?
A: They measure the same property with the thickness in feet or in inches. One BTU/(h·ft·°F) equals 12 BTU·in/(h·ft²·°F), and one BTU·in/(h·ft²·°F) is about 0.1442 W/(m·K).
Q: Which BTU and which calorie does the page use?
A: BTU is the International Table BTU. Calories per second are thermochemical (418.4 W/(m·K) each) and kilocalories per hour are International Table (1.163 W/(m·K) each).

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