Thermal resistance
The thermal resistance of a material is a measure of how resistant it is to the transfer of heat across it. The thermal resistance of a material is measured by its R-value. The higher the R-value of a material, the more effective it is as an insulator.
For more information, see R-value.
Thermal resistance is the temperature difference between two defined material surfaces that induces a unit heat flow rate through a unit area. It is often described as the reciprocal of thermal transmittance, and can be derived from the thermal conductivity and the thickness of the materials.
R-values can be calculated by dividing the thickness of a material (in metres) by its thermal conductivity (k-value or lambda value (λ) in W/mK). R-values are therefore expressed in m2K/W (or ft2·°F·hr/Btu in the USA). The overall R-value of a multi-layered element can be calculated by adding the R-values of its component materials.
R-values are not directly relatable to U-values however, as unlike U-values, R-values do not include surface heat transfers at the boundary of the element by convection and radiation, they are only a measure of the thermal resistance of the materials themselves.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.