What is the Heat Converter?
The Heat Converter is a comprehensive online tool for converting between various heat and thermal property measurements across 10 major categories: Fuel Efficiency - Mass, Fuel Efficiency - Volume, Temperature Interval, Thermal Expansion, Thermal Resistance, Thermal Conductivity, Specific Heat Capacity, Heat Density, Heat Flux Density, and Heat Transfer Coefficient. With 66+ units, this converter is essential for mechanical engineers, HVAC professionals, automotive engineers, and thermal scientists.
Categories and Units
1. Fuel Efficiency - Mass (5 units)
Fuel Efficiency by Mass measures distance traveled per unit mass of fuel. Used in aerospace and advanced vehicle analysis.
- Kilometer/Kilogram (km/kg) - Metric standard
- Mile/Kilogram (mi/kg) - Mixed units
- Meter/Kilogram (m/kg) - SI unit
- Mile/Pound (mi/lb) - Imperial standard
- Kilometer/Pound (km/lb) - Mixed units
2. Fuel Efficiency - Volume (9 units)
Fuel Efficiency by Volume measures distance traveled per unit volume of fuel. Most common measure for vehicles.
- Kilometer/Liter (km/L) - Common worldwide
- Liter/100 km (L/100km) - European standard (inverse relationship)
- Mile/Gallon (US) [mpg] - US standard
- Mile/Gallon (UK) - UK standard (larger gallon)
- Kilometer/Gallon (US) - Mixed units
- Plus: km/gal(UK), mi/L, gal(US)/100mi, gal(UK)/100mi
Note: L/100km is inverse - lower is better. Formula: L/100km = 100 / (km/L)
3. Temperature Interval (4 units)
Temperature Interval measures temperature differences (not absolute temperatures). Used in thermal calculations.
- Kelvin (K) - SI unit
- Celsius (°C) - Same interval as Kelvin
- Fahrenheit (°F) - 1°F = 5/9 K
- Rankine (°R) - Same interval as Fahrenheit
Important: This converts temperature DIFFERENCES, not absolute temperatures.
4. Thermal Expansion (4 units)
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion measures how much a material expands per degree of temperature change.
- 1/Kelvin (1/K) - SI unit
- 1/Celsius (1/°C) - Same as 1/K
- 1/Fahrenheit (1/°F) - Imperial unit
- 1/Rankine (1/°R) - Absolute imperial
5. Thermal Resistance (6 units)
Thermal Resistance measures a material's resistance to heat flow. Critical for insulation design and thermal management.
- Kelvin/Watt (K/W) - SI unit
- Celsius/Watt (°C/W) - Same as K/W
- Fahrenheit·Hour/BTU (°F·h/BTU) - Imperial unit
- Kelvin·Square Meter/Watt (K·m²/W) - R-value in SI
- Celsius·Square Meter/Watt (°C·m²/W) - Same as K·m²/W
- Fahrenheit·Square Foot·Hour/BTU (°F·ft²·h/BTU) - R-value in imperial
Example: Higher R-value = better insulation
6. Thermal Conductivity (6 units)
Thermal Conductivity measures a material's ability to conduct heat. Essential for material selection in thermal applications.
- Watt/(Meter·Kelvin) [W/(m·K)] - SI unit
- Watt/(Meter·Celsius) [W/(m·°C)] - Same as W/(m·K)
- BTU/(Hour·Foot·Fahrenheit) [BTU/(h·ft·°F)] - Imperial unit
- BTU·Inch/(Hour·Square Foot·Fahrenheit) - k-factor
- Kilocalorie/(Hour·Meter·Celsius) - Metric thermal unit
- Calorie/(Second·Centimeter·Celsius) - CGS unit
Common values:
- Copper: ~400 W/(m·K)
- Aluminum: ~205 W/(m·K)
- Steel: ~50 W/(m·K)
- Concrete: ~1.4 W/(m·K)
- Wood: ~0.15 W/(m·K)
- Air: ~0.026 W/(m·K)
7. Specific Heat Capacity (9 units)
Specific Heat Capacity measures the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass by one degree.
- Joule/(Kilogram·Kelvin) [J/(kg·K)] - SI unit
- Joule/(Kilogram·Celsius) [J/(kg·°C)] - Same as J/(kg·K)
- Kilojoule/(Kilogram·Kelvin) [kJ/(kg·K)] - Common in engineering
- Calorie/(Gram·Celsius) [cal/(g·°C)] - CGS unit
- BTU/(Pound·Fahrenheit) [BTU/(lb·°F)] - Imperial unit
- Plus: kJ/(kg·°C), kcal/(kg·°C), BTU/(lb·°R), CHU/(lb·°C)
Example: Water has a specific heat capacity of ~4186 J/(kg·K) or 1 cal/(g·°C)
8. Heat Density (8 units)
Heat Density (or volumetric heat capacity) measures heat energy per unit volume.
- Joule/Cubic Meter (J/m³) - SI unit
- Kilojoule/Cubic Meter (kJ/m³) - Common scale
- Megajoule/Cubic Meter (MJ/m³) - Large scale
- BTU/Cubic Foot (BTU/ft³) - Imperial unit
- Plus: cal/cm³, kcal/m³, BTU/in³, therm/ft³
9. Heat Flux Density (8 units)
Heat Flux Density measures the rate of heat transfer per unit area. Critical for heat exchanger design and thermal analysis.
- Watt/Square Meter (W/m²) - SI unit
- Kilowatt/Square Meter (kW/m²) - High flux applications
- Watt/Square Centimeter (W/cm²) - Concentrated heat
- BTU/(Hour·Square Foot) [BTU/(h·ft²)] - Imperial unit
- Plus: W/in², BTU/(s·ft²), kcal/(h·m²), cal/(s·cm²)
Example: Solar radiation at Earth's surface: ~1000 W/m²
10. Heat Transfer Coefficient (7 units)
Heat Transfer Coefficient measures the heat transfer rate between a surface and a fluid per unit area and temperature difference.
- Watt/(Square Meter·Kelvin) [W/(m²·K)] - SI unit
- Watt/(Square Meter·Celsius) [W/(m²·°C)] - Same as W/(m²·K)
- BTU/(Hour·Square Foot·Fahrenheit) - Imperial unit
- BTU/(Second·Square Foot·Fahrenheit) - High rate applications
- Plus: kcal/(h·m²·°C), cal/(s·cm²·°C), CHU/(h·ft²·°C)
Typical values:
- Free convection (air): 5-25 W/(m²·K)
- Forced convection (air): 10-200 W/(m²·K)
- Forced convection (water): 50-10,000 W/(m²·K)
- Boiling water: 3,000-100,000 W/(m²·K)
How to Use the Heat Converter
- Select Category: Choose from 10 heat and thermal property categories
- Enter Value: Type the numerical value you want to convert
- Select From Unit: Choose the unit you're converting from
- Select To Unit: Choose the unit you're converting to
- Click Convert: Get instant results with 6 decimal precision
Common Use Cases
Automotive Engineering
Convert fuel efficiency between mpg, km/L, and L/100km for vehicle specifications. Compare fuel economy across different measurement systems.
HVAC Design
Calculate thermal resistance (R-values) for insulation materials. Determine heat transfer coefficients for heating and cooling systems. Convert thermal conductivity for material selection.
Building Construction
Evaluate insulation performance using R-values. Calculate heat loss through walls and roofs. Select materials based on thermal conductivity.
Thermal Engineering
Design heat exchangers using heat transfer coefficients. Calculate heat flux for thermal management systems. Analyze thermal expansion in mechanical designs.
Energy Efficiency
Compare fuel efficiency of different vehicles. Calculate energy consumption for heating systems. Optimize thermal insulation for energy savings.
Materials Science
Characterize materials by specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity. Analyze thermal expansion coefficients for material compatibility.
Key Formulas
- Fuel Efficiency Inverse: L/100km = 100 / (km/L)
- Heat Transfer: Q = h × A × ΔT (where h = heat transfer coefficient, A = area, ΔT = temperature difference)
- Thermal Resistance: R = L / k (where L = thickness, k = thermal conductivity)
- Heat Capacity: Q = m × c × ΔT (where m = mass, c = specific heat capacity, ΔT = temperature change)
- Thermal Expansion: ΔL = α × L₀ × ΔT (where α = coefficient of thermal expansion, L₀ = original length)
Why Use Our Heat Converter?
- ✅ 66+ Units - Comprehensive coverage of thermal properties
- ✅ 10 Categories - All major heat and thermal measurements
- ✅ Fuel Efficiency - Handles inverse L/100km calculations correctly
- ✅ High Precision - 6 decimal places for accurate engineering calculations
- ✅ Industry Standard - Uses accepted conversion factors
- ✅ Free & Fast - No registration required, instant results
- ✅ Mobile Friendly - Works on all devices
- ✅ Professional Grade - Suitable for engineering and scientific work