Which term is a measure of whether a material will burn?

Combustibility refers to the ability of a material to ignite and burn in the presence of an ignition source. It is a crucial factor in fire safety and firefighting, as understanding a material's combustibility helps determine the appropriate responses and precautions needed in a fire situation. Materials with high combustibility are more likely to catch fire easily and burn rapidly, while those with low combustibility are less likely to ignite and may burn slowly or not at all.

Other terms, while related to material properties, do not specifically measure the ability to burn. Conductivity, for instance, relates to how well a material can conduct electricity or heat. The pyrolytic index refers to a specific aspect of thermal degradation rather than overall combustibility. Specific heat denotes the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by a given amount, which is also not directly related to how combustible a material is. Therefore, combustibility is the most appropriate term for assessing whether a material will burn.