The history of testing heat insulators at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly the National Bureau of Standards) is nearly as long as the history of the institute itself. The institute's participation in building research provided an important role in the development of test methods for measuring the heat transmission of insulating and building materials. The principal measurement technique pursued in this history is the development and subsequent standardization of the guarded-hot-plate method.

Units: Dual