Get Specific Heat Capacity calculations and comparison sheet to find and select most suitable insulation materials for your use. Heat Insulation made of Fire Resistant Insulation Inorganic Mineral Fibers at Wedge India for walls, roofs, tank, foundations, floors cold and hot insulation.
 
The specific heat capacity of aerogel insulation typically ranges from 800 to 1,000 J/kg·°C. Aerogel is known for its excellent thermal insulation properties due to its low density and low thermal conductivity, which makes it highly effective in insulating applications despite its relatively moderate specific heat capacity.
 
Specific heat capacity (often simply referred to as “specific heat”) is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin). It is a material property that indicates how much heat energy a material can store. The higher the specific heat, the more energy the material can absorb without significantly increasing its temperature.
 
Units of Specific Heat Capacity
• SI units: Joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/kg·°C) or Joules per kilogram per Kelvin (J/kg·K).
• CGS units: Calories per gram per degree Celsius (cal/g·°C).
 
Examples of Specific Heat Capacities
• Water: 4,186 J/kg·°C (or 1 cal/g·°C)
• Air: 1,005 J/kg·°C
• Iron: 450 J/kg·°C
• Aluminum: 900 J/kg·°C
• Copper: 385 J/kg·°C
• Concrete: ~880 J/kg·°C
• Ice: 2,090 J/kg·°C
 
Key Concepts
1. High Specific Heat Capacity:
• Materials with high specific heat capacity, like water, can absorb a large amount of heat without significant changes in temperature. This is why water is used in cooling systems.
2. Low Specific Heat Capacity:
• Materials with low specific heat capacity, like metals, heat up and cool down quickly because they require less heat energy to change their temperature.
 
Practical Applications
Thermal Storage: Materials with high specific heat are used in thermal energy storage systems because they can store a lot of heat.
Climate: Water’s high specific heat capacity is why coastal regions tend to have more moderate temperatures compared to inland areas.
Cooking: Metals with lower specific heat heat up quickly, making them ideal for cookware.
 
Insulation Material
Specific Heat Capacity (J/kg·°C)
Fiberglass
800
Mineral Wool
840
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
1300
Extruded Polystyrene (XPS)
1300
Polyisocyanurate (PIR)
1700
Closed-Cell Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF)
1500
Open-Cell Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF)
1400
Cellulose
1300
Cotton (Denim)
1800
Aerogel
900
Vermiculite
800
Perlite
900
Sheep’s Wool
1700
Cork
1670
Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIPs)
1000
Calcium Silicate
850
Wood Fiber
2100
Straw Bale
1600
 
Specific heat capacity is a critical concept in fields like thermodynamics, engineering, and environmental science because it helps predict how materials respond to thermal energy.