This paper deals with a system of heat equations coupled via nonlinear boundary flux. The precise blow-up rate estimates are established together with the blow-up set. It is observed that there is some quantitative relationship regarding the blow-up properties between the heat system with coupled nonlinear boundary flux terms and the corresponding reaction-diffusion system with the same nonlinear terms as the source. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.