Thermal Diffusivity of Dry Air Calculator and Chart

Air Thermal Diffusivity Chart

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Thermal diffusivity of dry air vs temperature in degrees Fahrenheit at 1 atm, 10 bar and 100 bar

Dry air, calculated with CoolProp 7.2.0 as α = k/(ρ·cp). Y-axis is logarithmic. Diffusivity falls roughly in proportion to pressure.

Air Thermal Diffusivity Calculator
Degrees (°F):
Degrees (°C):
Pressure:
Thermal diffusivity, α = k/(ρ·cp)
mm²/s:  
m²/s:  
cm²/s:  
ft²/s:  
ft²/h:  

Dry air, absolute pressure. Range: −100 to 1000 °C (−148 to 1832 °F) and 1 atm to 100 bar (14.696 to 1450 psia). Outside it the calculator shows “Out of Range”. Values are interpolated linearly in temperature (10 °C grid) and in ln P between 1 atm, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 bar. Interpolation adds about 0.1 % at most (checked against CoolProp at six off-grid points).

Thermal Diffusivity of Air
Quick answer

Dry air at 20 °C and 1 atm has a thermal diffusivity of 21.35 mm²/s (0.8273 ft²/h). This page is for dry air.

What it is

Thermal diffusivity says how fast a temperature change spreads through a material:

α = k / (ρ·cp)

It is thermal conductivity divided by volumetric heat capacity. Air has a high α for a fluid because its density is low. Use it in transient conduction (Fourier number) and in the Prandtl number, Pr = ν/α. The inputs are on the thermal conductivity, density and specific heat pages.

Because ρ is proportional to pressure, α at 10 bar is about ten times lower than at 1 atm. Compare with water thermal diffusivity.

Where the numbers come from

Accuracy. Lemmon et al. (2000) state an uncertainty of about 0.1 % in density, 0.2 % in speed of sound and 1 % in heat capacity from the solidification point to 873 K (600 °C) and up to 70 MPa. Above 873 K there were no reliable air data, so nitrogen data were used and the paper gives about 0.5 % for density. Lemmon & Jacobsen (2004) state about 5 % for the viscosity and thermal conductivity of air, and more near the critical point. Viscosity and conductivity above about 600 °C, and the 1000 °C end of the range, are less certain than that. CoolProp uses a molar mass of 28.96546 g/mol, the U.S. Standard Atmosphere uses 28.9644 g/mol. That is the main reason CoolProp density at 15 °C and 1 atm is 0.04 % above the Standard Atmosphere value. α combines three properties, so its uncertainty is roughly 5 % or more.

Dry Air Thermal Diffusivity at 1 atm (101.325 kPa)

Thermal diffusivity of dry air every 20 °C from −100 to 1000 °C at 1 atm.

Temp
(°C)
Temp
(°F)
α
(mm²/s)
α
(m²/s ×10⁻⁶)
α
(ft²/h)
k
(mW/(m·K))
ρ
(kg/m³)
cp
(J/(kg·K))
-100.0-148.07.8497.8490.304116.212.0471008.8
-80.00-112.09.7129.7120.376317.921.8321007.2
-60.00-76.0011.7411.740.454919.601.6591006.2
-40.00-40.0013.9213.920.539421.221.5161005.7
-20.00-4.00016.2516.250.629922.811.3961005.5
032.0018.7318.730.725924.361.2931005.7
20.0068.0021.3521.350.827325.871.2051006.1
40.00104.024.1024.100.933727.351.1271006.9
60.00140.026.9726.971.04528.801.0601008.0
80.00176.029.9629.961.16130.230.99951009.5
100.0212.033.0633.061.28131.620.94591011.2
120.0248.036.2736.271.40532.990.89771013.3
140.0284.039.5739.571.53334.340.85421015.8
160.0320.042.9742.971.66535.660.81471018.5
180.0356.046.4646.461.80036.960.77871021.6
200.0392.050.0450.041.93938.250.74581025.0
220.0428.053.6953.692.08039.510.71561028.6
240.0464.057.4257.422.22540.760.68771032.4
260.0500.061.2261.222.37242.000.66181036.5
280.0536.065.0965.092.52243.210.63791040.7
300.0572.069.0369.032.67544.420.61571045.1
320.0608.073.0473.042.83045.610.59491049.6
340.0644.077.1177.112.98846.780.57551054.2
360.0680.081.2481.243.14847.950.55731059.0
380.0716.085.4485.443.31149.100.54021063.7
400.0752.089.7089.703.47650.240.52421068.5
420.0788.094.0294.023.64351.370.50911073.3
440.0824.098.4098.403.81352.490.49481078.1
460.0860.0102.8102.83.98553.600.48131082.9
480.0896.0107.3107.34.16054.700.46851087.7
500.0932.0111.9111.94.33655.800.45641092.4
520.0968.0116.5116.54.51656.880.44491097.1
540.01004121.2121.24.69757.960.43391101.7
560.01040126.0126.04.88259.020.42351106.3
580.01076130.8130.85.06860.080.41361110.7
600.01112135.7135.75.25761.140.40411115.1
620.01148140.6140.65.44862.190.39511119.5
640.01184145.6145.65.64263.230.38641123.7
660.01220150.7150.75.83964.260.37821127.8
680.01256155.8155.86.03865.290.37021131.9
700.01292161.0161.06.23966.310.36261135.8
720.01328166.3166.36.44367.330.35531139.7
740.01364171.6171.66.64968.340.34831143.5
760.01400177.0177.06.85869.350.34161147.2
780.01436182.5182.57.07070.350.33511150.8
800.01472188.0188.07.28471.350.32881154.2
820.01508193.6193.67.50172.340.32281157.7
840.01544199.2199.27.72073.330.31701161.0
860.01580205.0205.07.94274.310.31141164.2
880.01616210.8210.88.16775.290.30601167.4
900.01652216.6216.68.39476.270.30081170.5
920.01688222.6222.68.62477.240.29581173.5
940.01724228.6228.68.85778.210.29091176.4
960.01760234.6234.69.09279.180.28621179.2
980.01796240.8240.89.33080.140.28161182.0
10001832247.0247.09.57081.100.27721184.7

Calculated with CoolProp 7.2.0. The mm²/s and m²/s ×10⁻⁶ columns are numerically equal.

Dry Air Thermal Diffusivity at 1 atm, 10 bar and 100 bar

At selected temperatures and three pressures.

Temp
(°C)
Temp
(°F)
Pressure
(bara)
Pressure
(psia)
α
(mm²/s)
α
(m²/s ×10⁻⁶)
α
(ft²/h)
k
(mW/(m·K))
ρ
(kg/m³)
cp
(J/(kg·K))
1 bara (1 atm, 14.7 psia)
-100-148.01.01314.77.8497.8490.304116.212.0471008.8
032.001.01314.718.7318.730.725924.361.2931005.7
100212.01.01314.733.0633.061.28131.620.94591011.2
200392.01.01314.750.0450.041.93938.250.74581025.0
400752.01.01314.789.7089.703.47650.240.52421068.5
60011121.01314.7135.7135.75.25761.140.40411115.1
80014721.01314.7188.0188.07.28471.350.32881154.2
100018321.01314.7247.0247.09.57081.100.27721184.7
10 bara (145 psia)
-100-148.0101450.74890.74890.0290216.8220.941072.6
032.00101451.8811.8810.0728924.7012.831023.7
100212.0101453.3503.3500.129831.859.3251019.7
200392.0101455.0835.0830.197038.427.3401029.8
400752.0101459.1229.1220.353550.365.1561070.7
60011121014513.7913.790.534561.233.9761116.3
80014721014519.1119.110.740371.423.2371155.0
100018321014525.0925.090.972381.162.7291185.2
100 bara (1450 psia)
-100-148.010014500.048970.048970.00189835.29305.52358.6
032.0010014500.18760.18760.00726829.85131.41210.6
100212.010014500.35010.35010.0135735.0691.161098.5
200392.010014500.53450.53450.0207140.7470.971074.0
400752.010014500.95440.95440.0369851.8249.801090.2
600111210014501.4331.4330.0555462.2838.561127.0
800147210014501.9741.9740.0764972.2331.511161.5
1000183210014502.5812.5810.1000081.8226.661189.5

The calculator above covers 2, 5, 20 and 50 bar as well.

Sources
  • E. W. Lemmon, R. T. Jacobsen, S. G. Penoncello and D. G. Friend, “Thermodynamic Properties of Air and Mixtures of Nitrogen, Argon, and Oxygen From 60 to 2000 K at Pressures to 2000 MPa,” J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 29(3), 331–385, 2000. doi:10.1063/1.1285884. Equation of state for dry air: density, specific heats, speed of sound, compressibility factor. Opened the NIST reprint, accessed 25 Oct 2026.
  • E. W. Lemmon and R. T. Jacobsen, “Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity Equations for Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, and Air,” Int. J. Thermophys. 25(1), 21–69, 2004. doi:10.1023/B:IJOT.0000022327.04529.f3. Viscosity and thermal conductivity of air. Only the abstract was read (NIST publication page), accessed 25 Oct 2026.
  • I. H. Bell, J. Wronski, S. Quoilin and V. Lemort, “Pure and Pseudo-pure Fluid Thermophysical Property Evaluation and the Open-Source Thermophysical Property Library CoolProp,” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 53(6), 2498–2508, 2014. doi:10.1021/ie4033999. The software used (CoolProp 7.2.0, fluid “Air”) to evaluate the two correlations above.
  • NOAA, NASA and USAF, U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976, NASA-TM-X-74335. ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19770009539. Sea-level reference values, dry-air composition and Sutherland constants, accessed 25 Oct 2026.

All numbers on this page are calculated, not measured here. See the Air General Properties page for the accuracy statements and the cross-check against the U.S. Standard Atmosphere.

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