A plate-fin heat exchanger is a type of heat exchanger design that uses plates and finned chambers to transfer heat between fluids.

It is often categorized as a compact heat exchanger to emphasise its relatively high heat transfer surface area to volume ratio.

The plate-fin heat exchanger is widely used in many industries, mainly the aerospace industry for its compact size and lightweight properties, as well as in cryogenics where its ability to facilitate heat transfer with small temperature differences is utilized.