Your Guide To Wholesale Ceramic Types

What are ceramics?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word ceramics means made of fired clay. That doesn't do quite the justice to the word 'ceramics'. Ceramics are materials that undergo maximum heating to produce desirable styles and designs. The word ceramics, derived from the Greek word 'keramos', means burnt clay. Ceramics were known to human beings even before the discovery of metals. Here is your guide to different wholesale ceramics found online:

There are two categories of ceramics :

1. Traditional ceramics

These consist of glass, pottery, tile, bricks, cement and concrete. These fall under the general-purpose materials.

• Glass Ceramics - Glass Ceramics are polycrystalline materials that share the property of both glasses and ceramics. Glass ceramics are beneficial in kitchens for cooking and storing. Examples: Glass Ceramics are known for their use in cookware, bakeware and cooktops and telescope mirrors.
• Bricks - One of the most common building materials, bricks are widely used for construction, cladding and furnaces thanks to their high-performance characteristics.
• Silicon - Considered a superior material, silicon is an abundant material found in the earth's crust. Materials that have silicon and carbon are called silicon carbides.
• Pottery:
  1. Earthenware - Considered to be in use since the stone age, earthenware can absorb water if not coated with a ceramic glaze.
  2. Stoneware - This type of pottery falls closest to a stone after heating.
  3. Porcelain - It is a type of ceramic that makes a ringing sound when tapped.
  4. Bone china - As the name suggests, it is created by mixing bone ashes with porcelain. Bone china is one of the most sturdy porcelain to be made. You can find pottery wholesale ceramics easily, available on the internet.

2. Advanced ceramics

Advanced ceramics are ceramics that are chemically processed to make different industrial ceramics products. They are highly resistant to melting, bending, stretching and corrosion. They are one of the most versatile groups of materials in the world due to their:

• Physical properties
• Biocompatibility
• High heat resistance
• Chemical inertness
• Hardness

Some types of advanced ceramics are:

• Alumina ceramic - One of the most widely used advanced ceramics, the alumina ceramic, is obtained from aluminium oxide. Ceramics are highly resistant to corrosion. Hence they are used in superconductor components, pump components and automotive sensors.
• Steatite ceramic - This variety of advanced ceramic is made from magnesium silicate and is mainly used as insulators for electric components and thermostats.
• Silicon carbide - Silicon carbide has multiple uses ranging from lining work LEDs. You can find silicon carbide on a wholesale ceramics website in the form of foam, bricks, heating elements, and more!
• Cordierite ceramic - Cordierite is created when it comes into contact with argillaceous rocks. This type of ceramic has high shock-resistant properties. Hence, Cordierite ceramics finds application in industries as a heat exchange for gas turbines.
• Mullite Ceramic - Formed at high temperatures and low pressure, this ceramic is very rare. Mullite ceramic is commonly used in industries under high temperatures.
• Zirconia ceramics - As the name suggests, this type of ceramics are produced from zirconium oxide. This type of ceramics has unique properties - its high strength and corrosion resistance. Zirconia ceramics are used to make bearings.