One typical question that people have when it comes to buying tile is regarding the difference between porcelain and ceramic tile. People have a sense that porcelain is better quality than ceramic tile but are not really sure as to why. Here at Coordinated Kitchen & Bath we have created a quick historical synopsis porcelain and ceramic tile.
Porcelain and Ceramic are not different kinds of tile. They are both ceramic tile. Roughly speaking ceramic means “of fired clay”, porcelain is one of the many varieties of fired clay. Ceramic tile, including porcelain, is made out of clay, additives (depending on the tile) and water.
Tile clay contains a large percentage of a mineral called Kaolinite. Kaolin results from the decay of certain minerals. Pure kaolin is a bright white colour; these white deposits are hard to come by. Most deposits of Kaolin contain iron oxide which darkens the clay, the amount of iron oxide in the clay, the darker the colour of the clay.
Porcelain and Ceramic are not different kinds of tile. They are both ceramic tile. Roughly speaking ceramic means “of fired clay”, porcelain is one of the many varieties of fired clay. Ceramic tile, including porcelain, is made out of clay, additives (depending on the tile) and water.
Tile clay contains a large percentage of a mineral called Kaolinite. Kaolin results from the decay of certain minerals. Pure kaolin is a bright white colour; these white deposits are hard to come by. Most deposits of Kaolin contain iron oxide which darkens the clay, the amount of iron oxide in the clay, the darker the colour of the clay.
In the European tradition porcelain is the term that has historically been used to describe the light colour clay that contains only minor deposits of iron oxide. Ceramic is tile that which contains larger amounts of iron oxide and thereby is either a yellow, orange, red, or brown colour.
Historically it has been thought that clay that contains more Kaolin (and thereby is a brighter colour) makes for a more durable tile. However this is untrue, as it does not matter how much Kaolinite is in the clay, but rather how much of it is vitrified during the firing process.
Firing evaporates the water and hardens the clay. This happens as particles within the clay are turned into low-order glass, this glass fills up the spaces between clay particles. If every space between clay particles is filled, this will increase the durability and waterproofing of the tile. How much of the tile is vitrified (process by which something is turned into glass) depends on how long and how hot the tile is fired. The colour of the clay makes no difference to the firing process.
The American tradition has had a very different way of classifying porcelain and ceramic tile. Within the United States there are three distinct ceramic industries: sanitary ware, dishware/pottery, ceramic tile. There is very little overlap between these industries as they tend to stick to their respective niches, despite using a similar product. When the American tile fabrication industry was just getting started, American tile manufacturers typically did not make traditional porcelain tile. If someone wanted porcelain tile they would order it from Europe. However other clay industries within the United States began using European porcelain. They quickly developed a reputation for high quality fabrication no matter the colour or material of the tile.
In part due to the high quality of their tile, American manufacturers felt like they needed a word to describe their high-quality product. Given the history of the term porcelain, and that it was a term known to the buying public, American manufacturers came to adopt the term for their high-quality tile. The limitation of the word to white tile, or tile that contained high levels of Kaolin, no longer held authority, as porcelain was used to describe high quality tile, no matter the colour.
The issue central to this re-naming process is that it conflicts with the historical public definition of the term porcelain. Thereby, we are now left with two distinct definitions as to what porcelain means. It can be either that which refers to any light-coloured tile, no matter the quality of the tile, or, a high quality tile no matter the colour of the tile.
The American tradition has had a very different way of classifying porcelain and ceramic tile. Within the United States there are three distinct ceramic industries: sanitary ware, dishware/pottery, ceramic tile. There is very little overlap between these industries as they tend to stick to their respective niches, despite using a similar product. When the American tile fabrication industry was just getting started, American tile manufacturers typically did not make traditional porcelain tile. If someone wanted porcelain tile they would order it from Europe. However other clay industries within the United States began using European porcelain. They quickly developed a reputation for high quality fabrication no matter the colour or material of the tile.
In part due to the high quality of their tile, American manufacturers felt like they needed a word to describe their high-quality product. Given the history of the term porcelain, and that it was a term known to the buying public, American manufacturers came to adopt the term for their high-quality tile. The limitation of the word to white tile, or tile that contained high levels of Kaolin, no longer held authority, as porcelain was used to describe high quality tile, no matter the colour.
The issue central to this re-naming process is that it conflicts with the historical public definition of the term porcelain. Thereby, we are now left with two distinct definitions as to what porcelain means. It can be either that which refers to any light-coloured tile, no matter the quality of the tile, or, a high quality tile no matter the colour of the tile.
