Specific Heat Calculator
Heat to warm or cool a mass of 16 preset materials, from water to copper, or your own specific heat: Q = m × c × ΔT, in J, kJ, MJ or BTU. How it works
Use the Specific Heat Calculator
About the Specific Heat Calculator
Heating 1 kg of water from 20 °C to 80 °C takes 251.16 kJ, from Q = m × c × ΔT with water at 4,186 J/(kg·°C). The same 1 kg of aluminum over the same 60 degrees takes 53.82 kJ, because aluminum needs 897 J per kg per degree. This specific heat calculator works out the heat Q for 16 preset materials or a specific heat you type in, with the mass in kg or lb, the temperatures in °C or °F, and the answer in J or BTU.
Specific heat of the 16 preset materials
| Material | c in J/(kg·°C) | c in BTU/(lb·°F) | Heat for 1 kg from 20 °C to 80 °C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 4,186 | 0.9998 | 251.16 kJ |
| Seawater | 3,930 | 0.9387 | 235.80 kJ |
| Ice (solid only, no melting) | 2,090 | 0.4992 | 125.40 kJ |
| Steam (gas only, no condensing) | 2,010 | 0.4801 | 120.60 kJ |
| Aluminum | 897 | 0.2142 | 53.82 kJ |
| Steel | 490 | 0.1170 | 29.40 kJ |
| Copper | 385 | 0.0920 | 23.10 kJ |
| Cast Iron | 460 | 0.1099 | 27.60 kJ |
| Brick | 840 | 0.2006 | 50.40 kJ |
| Concrete | 1,000 | 0.2388 | 60.00 kJ |
| Glass | 840 | 0.2006 | 50.40 kJ |
| Wood | 1,700 | 0.4060 | 102.00 kJ |
| Ethanol | 2,440 | 0.5828 | 146.40 kJ |
| Methanol | 2,140 | 0.5111 | 128.40 kJ |
| Olive Oil | 1,970 | 0.4705 | 118.20 kJ |
| Mercury | 139 | 0.0332 | 8.34 kJ |
The values the calculator uses, near room temperature. Most match the Wikipedia and Engineering ToolBox tables. Concrete and wood vary most: published figures for concrete run from 750 to 880 J/(kg·°C) against the 1,000 used here, and Engineering ToolBox gives 2,000 for oak and 2,500 for white pine against 1,700 here. The ice and steam rows hold only while nothing melts, freezes, boils or condenses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the specific heat of water?
- 4,186 J/(kg·°C) in this calculator, which is 0.9998 BTU/(lb·°F). That is why warming 1 lb of water by 1 °F comes out at 1.00 BTU, the amount the unit was first defined by. Wikipedia lists 4,181 J/(kg·K) for liquid water at 25 °C.
- How do you calculate heat energy from specific heat?
- Multiply mass, specific heat and temperature change: Q = m × c × ΔT, where ΔT is the final minus the initial temperature. 2 kg of aluminum heated from 20 °C to 200 °C takes 2 × 897 × 180 = 322.92 kJ. The same 2 kg of cast iron takes 165.60 kJ.
- Why is my answer negative?
- Because the final temperature is below the starting one, so the material gives off heat. 1 kg of water cooled from 80 °C to 20 °C gives −251.16 kJ, the same size as the heat needed to warm it back up.
- How much energy does it take to heat water for a kettle?
- 1.5 kg of water from 20 °C to 100 °C takes 502.32 kJ. That gets it to the boiling point only: turning the water into steam takes much more heat (latent heat), which this calculator does not add.
- Are J/(kg·°C) and J/(kg·K) the same?
- Yes. A step of one degree Celsius is the same size as one kelvin, so the number does not change. A Fahrenheit difference is smaller: the calculator divides it by 1.8, so 2 lb of water warmed from 60 °F to 212 °F takes 303.94 BTU.
- Can it solve for specific heat, mass or temperature?
- No, it works out heat only. Rearrange the formula by hand: c = Q ÷ (m × ΔT). If 1 kg of a metal took 53.82 kJ to warm by 60 °C, c = 53,820 ÷ 60 = 897 J/(kg·°C), which is aluminum. For a material not in the list whose c you know, choose Custom and type it: 2 kg at 1,234 J/(kg·°C) warmed from 20 °C to 80 °C takes 2 × 1,234 × 60 = 148,080 J, shown as 148.08 kJ.
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