What is the heat conductivity difference between copper and stainless steel?

A figure of merit for copper is 231

A figure of merit for stainless steel is 8.1

A figure of merit for steel (mild) is 32

A figure of merit for aluminum is 136.

The units are BTU / H * ft * Degrees F.


For a given length of time copper will conduct almost twice as much heat as aluminum and 28 times as much as stainless steel (but only about 7 times as much as regular steel). This is why there are copper bottomed stainless steel pots.

From the definition of thermal conductivity: for 1 Ft cube of copper it would take 231 BTU per hour to maintain a 1 degree (Fahrenheit) temperature difference across the the length of the cube. This compares to 0.04 BTU for a 1 ft. cube of fiberglass insulation.