Specific Heat Calculator
Solve Q = mcΔT for heat, mass, capacity or temperature change — and find the final temperature of a mixture.
The Specific Heat Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Masses, temperatures and energies you enter are computed on your device and never uploaded.
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About Specific Heat Calculator
Calorimetry is one equation rearranged four ways. Q = mcΔT relates heat energy to mass, specific heat capacity and temperature change, and knowing any three gives the fourth. This calculator solves for whichever one you are missing, converts the energy into joules, calories, BTU or kilowatt-hours, and takes mass in metric or imperial units. Water's capacity of 4186 J/(kg·K) is enormous next to metals, which is why a swimming pool takes all summer to warm up while a copper pan heats in seconds — and why mixing a hot metal into cold water barely moves the water's temperature, something the mixing calculator underneath makes concrete.
Features
- Solves for heat, mass, specific heat capacity or temperature change
- Specific heat table covering liquids, metals, gases and building materials
- Custom capacity value for anything not in the table
- Energy in joules, kilojoules, calories, kilocalories, BTU, Wh and kWh
- Mass in kilograms, grams, pounds or ounces
- Temperature differences in Celsius, kelvin or Fahrenheit, scaled correctly
- Heating time from a heater's power rating
- Final temperature when two bodies reach equilibrium
How to use the Specific Heat Calculator
- Choose which quantity you are solving for
- Pick the substance, or type a custom specific heat capacity
- Fill in the remaining values with the units you have
- Read the answer, and use the mixing panel for two-body problems
Example
Input
1 kg of water raised by 80 °C
Output
334.88 kJ · 80.0 kcal · 0.093 kWh
167 seconds in a 2 kW kettle
Boiling a litre of water from room temperature is about a tenth of a kilowatt-hour, which is why kettles are the biggest thing in most kitchens.
Common errors & troubleshooting
- Converting a Fahrenheit temperature instead of a difference. — A temperature difference converts by scale only — a 180 °F difference is 100 °C, not 82. The offset applies to temperatures, never to changes, and this tool treats the input as a difference.
- The answer ignores melting or boiling. — Q = mcΔT only covers heating within one phase. Melting ice or boiling water needs latent heat as well — 334 kJ per kg to melt and 2,260 kJ per kg to vaporise — which is a separate term.
- Real heating takes far longer than calculated. — The equation assumes no losses. A kettle loses heat to the room and the vessel, so allow for efficiency — the heating time panel takes a percentage for exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the formula for specific heat?
- Q = m × c × ΔT, where Q is heat energy in joules, m is mass in kilograms, c is specific heat capacity in J/(kg·K) and ΔT is the temperature change in kelvin or degrees Celsius.
- What is the specific heat capacity of water?
- 4186 J/(kg·K) as a liquid, which is roughly one calorie per gram per degree — the definition the calorie was originally built on. Ice is about half that and steam a little less again.
- How much energy does it take to boil a litre of water?
- About 335 kJ to raise it from 20 °C to 100 °C, plus another 2,260 kJ to actually turn it to steam. Heating alone is roughly 0.093 kWh, which is what a kettle uses per boil.
- Why do metals feel cold to touch?
- Low specific heat and high conductivity. A metal absorbs very little energy per degree and moves it away from your skin quickly, so it pulls heat out fast and feels colder than wood at the same temperature.
- How do I find the final temperature when two things mix?
- The heat one loses equals the heat the other gains, so the result is the heat-capacity-weighted average of their starting temperatures. The mixing panel above does that for any two substances and masses.
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