The melting point is one of the most consulted properties in the choice of a material, but also one of the most misunderstood. It's often confused with the maximum operating temperature or with softening. Furthermore, different parameters are sometimes compared, such as the melting point of metals and the HDT of polymers, as if they were equivalent. Understanding this quantity helps to choose the correct material , predict its behaviour during machining and design more reliably. In this guide we'll see what the melting point is, how it's measured and what the values of the main industrial materials are.