Thermal Resistance Converter

About This Tool

This Thermal Resistance Converter is a key tool for mechanical engineers, architects, and anyone involved in thermal management. It converts units of thermal resistance, which is a measure of a material's or object's resistance to heat flow. The base unit is Kelvin per watt (K/W).

A higher thermal resistance value indicates a better insulator. This concept is fundamental to the design of building insulation (R-values), electronics cooling (heat sinks), and any application where controlling heat transfer is important. This tool helps convert between the standard SI unit and common imperial units used in the construction and HVAC industries.

Tips & Features

• Understanding Thermal Resistance: The unit 'Kelvin per watt' literally means 'how many Kelvin of temperature difference are required to produce one watt of heat flow.' Therefore, a material with a high K/W value is a poor conductor of heat and a good insulator.
• R-Value: In construction, 'R-value' is a measure of thermal resistance. While it has units of area, the underlying principle is the same. The imperial R-value unit is ft²·°F·h/Btu. This converter deals with the direct K/W units, which are often used for individual components (like a computer chip heat sink).
• Inverse of Conductance: Thermal resistance is the reciprocal of thermal conductance. While resistance measures how much an object opposes heat flow, conductance measures how well it allows heat to flow.