Temperature Coefficient of Resistance

Temperature coefficient of resistance, abbreviated as \( R \), is the resistance of a conductor at any given temperature.

 

Temperature coefficient of resistance formula
\( R = R_{ref}  \; [1+ \alpha \; (  T - T_{ref} ) \; ]  \)
Symbol	English	Metric
\( R \) = resistance at temperature \(T\)	\(\Omega\)	\(kg-m^2\;/\;s^3-A^2\)
\( R_{ref}  \) = resistance at temperature \(T_{ref} \)	\(\Omega\)	\(kg-m^2\;/\;s^3-A^2\)
\( \alpha \)  (Greek symbol alpha) = temperature coefficient of resistance of the material	\(F\)	\(C\)
\(T  \) = material temperature in celcius	\(F\)	\(C\)
\( T_{ref} \) = reference temperature for which the temperature coefficient is specified	\(F\)	\(C\)

 

Temperature coefficient of resistance material
Material / Substance	Temperature coefficient of resistance / °C (at 20 °C)
Aluminum	0.00429
Brass	0.0015
Carbon	-0.0005
Constantan	0.00003
Copper	0.00386
Germanium	-0.05
Gold	0.0034
Iron	0.00651
Manganese	0.00001
Manganin	0.000002
Mercury	0.0009
Nichrome	0.0004
Nickel	0.00641
Platinum	0.003927
Silicon	-0.07
Silver	0.0038
Tantalum	0.0033
Tin	0.0042
Tungsten	0.0045
Zinc	0.0037