Answer Wiki. Thermate is a material derived from thermite, a well-known incendiary compound in use in incendiary devices and metallurgy since the 1890s. Thermite burns at extremely high temperatures, somewhere along the lines of 2200 to 2500°C (4000–4500°F), depending on chemical composition. As a result, during WW2, thermite hand grenades were widely used in an anti-armor/anti-materiel role.