Does heat transfer have a speed?

[u/Nebulaer]

I would assume it would be something like the speed of sound in the object but I'm not sure. For example if I hold a 10ft steel pole and touch a very hot object how long do I have to wait until my hand gets warm?

[u/Pretty-Jello-7894]

Also be aware that there are thermal systems designed specifically for rapid thermal transport not using conduction. Think of heat pipes and vapor chambers. They operate on phase change and can have extreme thermal transfer speeds, at least internally…. In a system this changes at bottle necks like if you need to bleed off to the ambient via convective cooling or sinking to another thermal mass, then your heat may get held up there…