The conductivity of a solution is highly temperature dependent, so it is important either to use a temperature compensated instrument, or to calibrate the instrument at the same temperature as the solution being measured. Unlike metals, the conductivity of common electrolytes typically increases with increasing temperature.
Over a limited temperature range, the way temperature affects the conductivity of a solution can be modeled linearly using the following formula:
where 
:T is the temperature of the sample,
:T is the calibration temperature,
:σ is the electrical conductivity at the temperature T,
:σ,
:α is the temperature compensation gradient of the solution.
The temperature compensation gradient for most naturally occurring samples of water is about 2%/°C; however it can range between 1 and 3%/°C. The compensation gradients for some common water solutions are listed in the table below.