We often hear about generic words like “ceramics”, so what is ceramic, what is porcelain and how to distinguish them? We should learn carefully to know how to choose and distinguish poor quality ceramics.
Ceramics have a lower firing temperature than porcelain. Porcelain only burns at the highest temperature of 1300 degrees Celsius, usually gas furnaces only heat to 1280 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is raised even higher, the product will be distorted, grainy or cracked or broken. Pottery has a lower firing temperature, only about 700-800 degrees.
Pottery is a raw material that has been fired through fire but without enamel, the material is usually rough. If it is glazed ceramic, it must be called porcelain.
Pottery.
Ceramics are products made from clay and its mixtures with inorganic or organic additives, fired over a fire. And in a broad sense, ceramics are products produced by heating powdered materials including natural minerals and synthetic inorganic substances including metals.
Depending on the raw materials and raw material processing techniques, different firing methods (temperatures) create different types of ceramics, the common types are: terracotta pottery, brown earthenware, porous earthenware, white earthenware, etc. semi-porcelain, porcelain… Thus, ceramic is a common name, and porcelain is one of the products of pottery.
Both ceramics and porcelain can be glazed, or not (there are non-glazed technical porcelain); and if it is based on the firing temperature to know, sometimes it is not true, for example, crockery (raw ceramic), sometimes fired at a higher temperature than porcelain it will make crockery, or refractory ceramic, it is fired at high temperature >1350°C, but it is still called ceramic.
Because it is fired at a high temperature and glazed, about safety and non-toxicity, we should use porcelain to ensure the health and safety of family members.
Porcelain dishes.
To distinguish, we use chopsticks or metal rods to tap the product.