Industrial Minerals
Ceramics & Sanitaryware
Body and glaze raw materials, consistent lot to lot, so firing behaviour does not move.
The problem
A ceramic body is a recipe that took years to settle. Raw material that drifts between shipments shows up as casting-rate changes, warping and kiln losses — weeks later, when the cause is hard to find.
What we supply
Ball clay, china clay, feldspar, talc and dolomite from fixed deposits, blended to one specification per customer, with changes flagged before they ship rather than discovered in the kiln.
Choosing a grade
| What you are solving | What we would quote | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Casting slip plasticity | Ball clay XB-Cast | Green strength and casting rate |
| White body former | Kaolin XK-Ceramic | Brightness and fired whiteness |
| Flux, vitreous bodies | Feldspar XP-200 potash | Lowers vitrification temperature |
| Wall tile, fast fire | Wollastonite XW-Powder, Talc | Low shrinkage, fast cycles |
| Frit and glaze | Feldspar XS-325, Dolomite XD-400 | Alkali and magnesia source |
These are starting points, not prescriptions. Send your current material's data sheet and we will match it properly rather than guessing from a mesh number.
Minerals for ceramics & sanitaryware
5 of the minerals we supply end up in this industry. Here is what each one is actually doing once it is in the mix.
- Ball Clay — Plasticiser and green-strength former in casting and pressing bodies.
- China Clay (Kaolin) — The white body former in porcelain, tableware and sanitaryware.
- Feldspar — The principal flux in vitreous bodies and glazes.
- Talc — Flux for low thermal expansion bodies and steatite insulators.
- Dolomite — Flux in wall tile and frit.
Ball Clay
Highly plastic sedimentary clay. Green strength and workability in ceramic bodies.
China Clay (Kaolin)
Fine white aluminium silicate. Brightness and coverage in paper, paint and ceramics.
Feldspar
Potash and soda grades. The flux in glass, sanitaryware and ceramic bodies.
Talc
Soft, platy magnesium silicate. The workhorse extender in paint, plastics, paper and rubber.
Dolomite
Calcium magnesium carbonate. Flux, filler and magnesia source for glass and steel.
Every one of these has its own page with the grade ladder, the typical chemistry and the physical properties. If you already know the mineral and need the numbers, go straight there.
What we will ask you
- Body type and firing cycle
- Current supplier and their data sheet
- Casting rate or press behaviour you need held
- Monthly tonnage and delivery ZIP
Four answers are enough for a quote and a sample. We do not need a meeting first.
What you get back
- A delivered price per tonne or per pound to your ZIP code, not an FOB India number you have to convert
- A free sample of the grade we recommend, shipped from the United States
- The typical analysis and, with the sample, the actual mill test certificate for that lot
- A safety data sheet in US format before the material arrives
- A lead time you can plan a production run around
Working in ceramics & sanitaryware?
Tell us the application and the tonnage. Quote and free sample back within one business day.