The Porcelain and Stoneware both share the same ceramic qualities but have unique properties that make them stand out on their strength, water resistance, and durability. Porcelain and stoneware differences can mainly be seen in the appearance of the products also the temperature at which they can be fired. Below is a quick comparison of porcelain vs stoneware clay dinnerware.
Porcelain can be fired at high temperatures around 2,200 – 2,640 degrees Fahrenheit while Stoneware can be fired at high temperatures between 2,000 – 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Porcelain, after fired will have a shiny appearance and a smooth hard texture while Stoneware does not need to be glazed in order to be water-proofed.
Porcelain is durable, non-porous, and usually white While Stoneware is also durable, non-porous, and more opaque than Porcelain and not as delicate as Porcelain.
Note: They are ceramics made out of clay.
PORCELAIN VS CLAY
People tend to make the mistake of comparing porcelain and clay; this is why I want to straighten this up. First, Clay is a basic material used in making ceramic dinnerware. This implies that all-ceramic dinnerware comes from clay.
That been said let me list the three main ceramic products that clay turns out to be after it has been fired under high temperature.
1. Stoneware
2. Porcelain
3. Earthenware
They are all made from raw material which is clay.
Note: Bone china can be a sub-category because it is made of bone-ash and very refined clay.
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PORCELAIN VS STONEWARE CLAY
Stoneware clay is fired at an extremely high temperature at about 1180 – 1280 degrees Celsius (2156 – 2336) degrees Fahrenheit. While Porcelain is a ceramic material made up of heating materials like Kaolin and in a kiln to a temperature between 1,200 and 1,400 degrees Celsius (2,200 and 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit).
The extremely high temperature attached to the stoneware clay makes it into a Vitreous substance; having a shiny surface and non-porous vitreous solution making it a “glazed pottery”.
While Porcelain was first created in China, it is made from a two firing process; feldspar and Kaolin. Presently, Porcelain is composed of the raw materials; Kaolin, Feldspar, Quartz, and Clay.
Stoneware clay tends to be very heavy and thick-bodied. Stoneware clay can be used as storage vessels because of the property of their bodies. While Porcelain has a high level of mechanical resistance, high density, and low porosity which has greatly affected the durability, beauty, and soft touch of the Porcelain dinnerware.
Stoneware clay was developed in Germany and England. Stoneware clay is mostly seen used for making jugs and other household appliances.
Porcelain pottery is known for three distinct qualities; hardness, whiteness, and translucency.
The outward design for the Stoneware clay undergoes what we call salt glazing; formed by throwing salt into the kiln during firing. While the inner design of the Stoneware clay is made up of a mixture of clay, water, and a pigment used also for decorating earthenware.
Porcelain can be divided into 3 main parts; bone china, hard paste, and soft paste. The manufacturing process of Porcelain is more demanding than Earthenware and Stoneware. Porcelain is also called china or fine china.
Although salt glazing is a method used in manufacturing, Stoneware clay is dangerous, it has now been replaced with another process called Bristol Glaze. Bristol Glaze is a feldspathic glaze slip using zinc oxide which requires only a single firing.
The Properties contained or associated with Porcelain include elasticity and low permeability. It also includes strength, hardness, whiteness, resonance, translucency, and very high resistance to thermal shock and chemical attack.
Finally, most Stoneware clay vessels were mostly curvy and round in shape but in the 19th century, the shapes of most Stoneware clay became more cylindrical.
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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EARTHENWARE, STONEWARE AND PORCELAIN?
There is a various variety of pottery. There is 3 most common type of pottery you can find, they are; Earthenware, Stoneware, and Porcelain.
Earthenware is the most common type of pottery fabric material. It is an ordinary clay fired at a very low temperature. Earthenware is made up of a softer material.
Earthenware is not impervious to Liquid unless it is glazed. Most Earthenwares are glazed, when they aren’t glazed, they are sandy, you can actually mark them / scratch them even with your fingernails, they are not a strong fabric of pottery.
Since Earthenware isn’t impervious to Liquid, when they are buried, the dirt will stain the edges.
While Stoneware is a harder material of pottery, it is fired to a higher temperature than Earthenware.
Stoneware is Impervious to Liquid without a glaze. It doesn’t get stained in the soil when buried. Stoneware is hard, so it hardly scratches.
Porcelain is fired at an even higher temperature than the Stoneware and Earthenware pottery. Porcelain is glass-like in nature and when it breaks, it breaks in glass form.
Porcelain has the ability to chip like glass. The most important characteristic of Porcelain is that it is Translucent.
CORELLE VS PORCELAIN
Corelle is made in the USA while Porcelain is made in China and originated from China.
Corelle and Porcelain are both durable dinnerware sets and offer beauty to your various occasions.
Corelle is lightweight while Porcelain is heavier than Corelle.
Corelle has the ability to resist breaking, chipping, and cracking. While Porcelain can easily break if handled roughly, Porcelain can also easily scratch and chip.
Corelle is manufactured with a non-porous material that makes it food-safe and hygienic, preventing any absorption of food particles or liquids that may form bacteria over time.
While Porcelain though made with glass has stable heat ability can’t leach chemicals into your food but the glaze print on Porcelain may contain harmful substances that might dissolve in hot food/meals over a long time.
We recommend Corelle dinnerware sets for food safety over the Porcelain dinnerware sets.
Finally, Corelle is designed for easy handling and compact storage for kitchen and home with limited space, it nests neatly and efficiently.
PORCELAIN POTTERY
Pottery is the act of making a beautiful ceramic piece out of clay. Earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain are categories of pottery. These clay materials are permanently transformed into beautiful ceramics when heated at the right temperature.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PORCELAIN?
There are numerous benefits of Porcelain. Below are a few to note;
A Porcelain dinnerware has the ability to resist wear and tear and can last better than most ceramic dinnerware sets.
Porcelain requires less maintenance to maintain its beauty.
Porcelains are generally beautiful to behold.
Porcelain dinnerware sets are very versatile and can be used to serve various meals.
Porcelains are durable.
They are simple to clean and are moisture resistant.
TYPES OF CERAMICS
A Ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing a nonmetallic mineral, such as clay, at a high temperature.
Ceramics are classified as inorganic and non-metallic materials that are essential to our daily lifestyle.
Ceramic and material Engineers are the people who design the process in which these products can be made, create new types of ceramic products, and find different uses for ceramic products in everyday life.
We have two types of ceramic namely; Crystalline and Non-crystalline Ceramics.
Crystalline Ceramics; Crystalline ceramic materials are not amenable to a great range of processing. Methods for dealing with them tend to fall into one of two categories – either make the ceramic in the desired shape, by reaction in situ, or by “forming” powders into the desired shape, and then sintering to form a solid body.
Non-crystalline Ceramics; Non-crystalline ceramics being glass, tend to be formed from melts. The glass is shaped when either fully molten, by casting, or when in a state of toffee-like viscosity, by methods such as blowing into a mold.
If later heat treatments cause this glass to become partly crystalline, the resulting material is known as a glass-ceramic, widely used as cooktops, and also as a glass composite material for nuclear waste disposal.
Examples of ceramics; Porcelain, Pottery, Earthenware, Granite, and Sculptures.
WHAT IS PORCELAIN MADE OF?
Essentially, Porcelain is made up of two different materials namely Petunse and Kaolin. The first material gives Porcelain its hardness and translucency while the second material Kaolin is responsible for Porcelain’s structure and Plasticity.
WHAT IS PORCELAIN USED FOR?
Porcelain can be used for various activities like; electrical insulators, laboratory equipment, tableware, and decorative objects.
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