What is specific heat?

Specific heat is the energy needed to raise 1 kg of a material by 1 K.

Why does Cp differ from Cv?

At constant pressure, gas expansion does work, so Cp is higher than Cv.

Can I identify a material from specific heat?

Only roughly. Specific heat depends on composition, temperature and measurement conditions.

Specific Heat Calculator

Solve specific heat, heat energy, mass or temperature change, convert specific, molar and total heat capacity, and estimate ideal-gas Cp, Cv and gamma.

Heat Capacity

Mode

Find

Heat, J

Mass, kg

Temperature change, K

The sign of heat must match the sign of temperature change: use positive values for heating and negative values for cooling. If you treat released heat as a positive number, use the magnitude of the temperature change.

Specific Heat Capacities (Reference)

Substance	Specific heat capacity, J/kg*K	Molar mass, g/mol	Molar heat capacity, J/mol*K
Water	4186	18.015	75.41
Ice	2100	18.015	37.83
Ethanol	2440	46.07	112.41
Glycerin	2430	92.09	223.78
Acetone	2160	58.08	125.45
Mercury	139	200.59	27.88
Aluminum	897	26.98	24.2
Copper	385	63.55	24.47
Iron	449	55.85	25.08
Steel	500	55.85	27.93
Brass	380	64	24.32
Gold	129	196.97	25.41
Silver	235	107.87	25.35
Lead	130	207.2	26.94
Tin	228	118.71	27.07
Zinc	388	65.38	25.37
Nickel	444	58.69	26.06
Titanium	522	47.87	24.99
Sand	830	60.08	49.87
Concrete	880	-	-
Brick	880	-	-
Glass	840	60.08	50.47
Wood (pine)	1700	-	-

Specific heat and heat capacity

This page targets the common classroom and engineering estimate: solve one missing value in delta T, then convert between specific, molar and total heat capacity.

c = \frac{Q}{m Δ T}

c is specific heat capacity in J/(kg*K).

C_{m} = c M

C_m is molar heat capacity and M is molar mass.

Gas heat capacities

C_{p} - C_{v} = R

For an ideal gas, molar constant-pressure and constant-volume heat capacities differ by the gas constant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and References

Calculations are based on the listed reference sources. Links open in a new tab.

Updated: June 2, 2026

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