Ceramics

Ceramics

What is the difference between clay and clay body?

We will use the term clay to refer to those materials of a plastic quality which are formed by natural forces and which are to be found in nature. The term ‘clay body’ will be used to indicate a mixture of clay like materials with other inclusions for a specific ceramic technique. While there are thousands of clay bodies available for purchase, the 3 basics types are porcelain, stoneware and earthenware.

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between 1,200 and 1,400 °C. The strength, and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainly from vitrification and formation of the mineral mullite within the body at these high temperatures

Stoneware, which, though dense, impermeable and hard enough to resist scratching by a steel point, differs from porcelain because it is more opaque, and normally only partially vitrified. It is usually coloured grey or brownish because of impurities in the clay used for its manufacture, and is normally glazed.

Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below 1,200 °C. Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ceramic glaze, which the great majority of modern domestic earthenware has