Thermal conductivity refers to a material's ability to conduct heat. Knowledge of a materials' thermal conductivity is essential for numerous applications. For example, materials with high conductivity are used in production of computer processors while those with low conductivity are often sought for their insulating properties. A material's thermal conductivity can also give qualitative information regarding its quality and purity.

The two types of thermal conductivity meter are steady-state and non steady-state, also called transient, conductivity meters. Steady-state meters measure a material while temperature remains constant while transient methods take measurements while a sample is heating up.