Thermal Conductivity Converter
Watt/meter-kelvin (W/m·K)
Definition: The SI unit for thermal conductivity. It represents the rate of heat flow (Watts) through a material of unit thickness (meter) per unit of temperature difference (Kelvin).
History/origin: Established as part of the SI system to create a direct link between power (Watts), distance, and temperature change in thermodynamic calculations.
Current use: The absolute standard in physics, global engineering, and material science to define how well a material conducts heat.
cal/s·cm·°C
Definition: A metric unit from the CGS system representing calories per second per centimeter per degree Celsius.
History/origin: This unit was widely used in European scientific literature during the 19th and early 20th centuries before the widespread adoption of Joules and Watts.
Current use: Occasionally found in older scientific papers and specific branches of chemistry and specialized material testing.
Watt/meter-kelvin (W/m·K) to cal/s·cm·°C Conversion Table
| Watt/meter-kelvin (W/m·K) [w_mk] | cal/s·cm·°C [cal_scm] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 w_mk | 0.00002388 cal_scm |
| 0.1 w_mk | 0.00023885 cal_scm |
| 1 w_mk | 0.00238846 cal_scm |
| 2 w_mk | 0.00477692 cal_scm |
| 3 w_mk | 0.00716538 cal_scm |
| 5 w_mk | 0.01194229 cal_scm |
| 10 w_mk | 0.02388459 cal_scm |
| 20 w_mk | 0.04776918 cal_scm |
| 50 w_mk | 0.11942295 cal_scm |
| 100 w_mk | 0.2388459 cal_scm |
| 1000 w_mk | 2.38845897 cal_scm |
How to Convert Watt/meter-kelvin (W/m·K) to cal/s·cm·°C
1 w_mk = 0.00238846 cal_scm
1 cal_scm = 418.68 w_mk
Example: convert 15 w_mk to cal_scm:
15 w_mk = 15 × 0.00238846 cal_scm = 0.03582688 cal_scm
Did You Know?
- Did you know? Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of any naturally occurring bulk material, about 5 times higher than copper! This is why diamonds always feel cold to the touch.
- The calorie-based unit was historically used in early thermodynamics research before the Watt-based SI unit became the global scientific standard.