Abstract In two previous papers (see refs. [2] and [3]) the present authors have presented a theory of void lattices that is based on the two-interstitial model of point defects in metals and explains void-lattice formation in terms of a self-organization far from thermal equilibrium. Major features of the void lattices (e.g., the identity of the structure and orientation of void lattices and their host crystal lattices, the growth saturation and size uniformity of voids in a void lattice, the displacive stability of void lattices within a wide parameter range) are traced to a common cause—the existence of one-dimensionally migrating crowdion interstitials. In the present paper, the void-lattice theory is extended by including reactions among point defects (vacancy-interstitial recombination, athermal conversion of interstitials from the crowdion to the dumbbell configuration, and vice versa) as well as the evaporation of vacancies from dislocations and voids. It is shown that this extension accounts for the temperature dependences of swelling and void-lattice formation. For Mo and Ni it is demonstrated that, in accordance with observations, an optimum temperature for void-lattice formation exists which is located on the low-temperature side of the regime of strong swelling.