This work is aimed at predicting unknown and possible combination of parameters in a naturally convective porous fin subjected to a given temperature requirement. Five critical parameters: porosity, solid thermal conductivity, permeability, length and thickness of the fin have been simultaneously estimated by solving an inverse problem involving the simulated annealing. The algorithm requires temperature information only at three measurement points to predict variety of possible combinations of fin parameters which can satisfy a given temperature requirement. The investigation is done for insulated and convective tip conditions of the fin. Inclusion of random measurement errors upto 11% in the temperature field is not found to significantly contribute in reducing the estimation accuracy. The study is proposed to be helpful for selecting combination of parameters in porous fins amongst various possible alternatives which can meet a desired temperature distribution. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.