At what temperature will a block of metal feel neither hot nor cool when you touch it?

Answer 1

The principle behind this is called heat transfer. Heat transfer says that heat (or thermal energy) always transfers from high energy objects(hot) to a low energy objects(cold).

If you touch a stove, what you feel is a large amount of thermal energy being transferred into you through your contact with the stove. The hotter the object, the more thermal energy will be transferred into you. The skin can only handle so much thermal energy, so eventually you'll get burned.

On the opposite spectrum, if you touch an ice cube, you feel a cold sensation because thermal energy is transferred from your hand and into the ice cube.

So what does this all mean? There is no transfer of cold, just transfer of heat. Heat gets transferred when the temperature of two objects are different and the two objects come into contact. Heat always transfers from higher temp to a colder temp.

Your question is asking, how will I not feel hot or cold when touching a block of metal. That would only occur if the metal was the same temperature as you.

In reality though, the entire process is very complex. Thermal energy may not be uniformly distributed in the object. Our bodies are not a constant temperature everywhere, it fluctuates from area to area. Our hands also have small sensors that get activated if heat gets transferred away and then there are other sensors that get activated if heat gets transferred into you.

Answer 2

Typically, a metal block will feel neither hot nor cold to the touch around room temperature, which is around 68-72°F (20-22°C). At this temperature, the metal block will be close to the same temperature as your skin, so there will be minimal heat transfer between them.