At one time or another we’ve all experienced the sensation of feeling a different temperature depending on the material that we are touching. Try it now—touch a nearby piece of metal with your fingertip, then, with another finger, touch a piece of wood or cloth. Most likely the metal felt cooler to the touch than the wood did.
How could this be if both objects have been sitting in the room long enough to come to thermal equilibrium with the surroundings?
