Not all materials have the same ability to transfer heat. With an understanding of the properties of materials and the mechanisms of heat transfer, people can manipulate the flow of heat for practical purposes. 

Some materials, such as metals, are good conductors of heat while others, such as plastic or air, are not. Materials that are not good at transferring heat by conduction are called insulators. Similarly, some materials are better at absorbing energy from electromagnetic radiation than others. For example, darker colored materials are better at absorbing electromagnetic radiation while shiny surfaces and lighter colored materials tend to reflect it.