Why does metal feel colder than wood at room temperature?

Both metal and wood are at the same room temperature, but metal feels colder because of thermal conductivity. Metal conducts heat away from your skin much faster than wood does. When you touch metal, it rapidly draws heat out of your hand, so your skin temperature drops quickly and you perceive it as cold. Wood is a poor conductor, so it transfers heat away from your skin slowly, making it feel closer to your body temperature. This is purely a perception effect based on the rate of heat transfer, not actual temperature difference. If you left both materials in a cold room, metal would feel dramatically colder than wood for the same reason, even though both objects are at identical temperatures.