An investigation of the use of modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC) to measure thermal conductivity (K) of the explosive Tetryl using isothermal and non-isothermal methods. Issues surrounding the use of silicone oil as a heat transfer aid are discussed. Using these methods the calculated isothermal and non-isothermal properties of specific heat capacity were observed to be 0.844 and 0.863 J/(g K) and the calculated thermal conductivity values were found to be 0.165 and 0.186 W/K. Calibration experiments using polystyrene indicate that the non-isothermal method is more reproducible but has a larger offset (35%) from the true value. Our corrected values for Tetryl fall in the middle of the considerable range of values reported in the literature. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.