Thermal conductivity in nickel solid solutions with a &ggr; single phase was comprehensively surveyed. The major findings are summarized as follows: First, alloying definitely decreases the thermal conductivity of nickel. The relationship between thermal conductivity and concentration in the dilute solid solution is characterized by the Nordheim relation. Second, for most solutes, the thermal conductivity of nickel alloys decreases significantly as the position of the solute element becomes horizontally more distant from nickel in the periodic table, which is equivalent to the Norbury–Linde rule of electrical resistivity. Third, cold deformation has no significant influence on the thermal conductivity of nickel alloys. Fourth, a monotonic increase in thermal conductivity as a function of temperature is observed in highly concentrated nickel alloys, while the thermal conductivity of dilute nickel alloys shows a minimum at the Curie temperature. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.