Why do certain materials/surfaces always feel ‘cool to the touch’ at room temperature (like glass/granite)

Question

Why do certain materials/surfaces always feel ‘cool to the touch’ at room temperature (like glass/granite)

In: Physics

Answer 1

These materials have a higher heat capacity than “warm to the touch” materials like wood.

Your body doesn’t actually sense temperature, it senses heat flow. When you touch a granite object the granite doesn’t warm very fast (high heat capacity) so you detect a high heat flow => cold. When you touch a wood object that’s at exactly the same temperature, you warm the outer layer of wood, which is insulated from the rest of the mass by trapped air (low heat capacity) so you detect a low heat flow => warm.