Industrial Minerals
What it is
Ball clay is a fine-grained, highly plastic sedimentary clay containing kaolinite together with mica and quartz. Its value is mechanical rather than chemical: it gives a ceramic body the plasticity to be shaped and the green strength to survive handling before firing.
Why buyers specify it
- Plasticity no other single raw material delivers at the same cost.
- High unfired strength, so cast and pressed pieces survive demoulding and transport to the kiln.
- Controlled fired colour, from near-white to buff, depending on iron and titania.
- Consistent rheology in casting slips, which is what keeps a sanitaryware line running.
Grades we supply
Grade names are ours; the fineness and the duty are what you match against your current material.
| Grade | Character | Fired colour | Usually bought for |
|---|---|---|---|
| XB-Cast | High plasticity, low grit | Off-white | Sanitaryware casting slips |
| XB-Press | Medium plasticity | Cream | Wall and floor tile bodies |
| XB-White | Low iron | White | Tableware and fine ceramics |
Other finenesses and surface treatments are available against a firm enquiry. If you are switching from another supplier, send their data sheet and we will match the curve rather than the mesh number.
Typical analysis
Chemistry
| Component | Typical range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| SiO2 | 50 – 62 % | Includes free quartz |
| Al2O3 | 24 – 32 % | — |
| Fe2O3 | 0.8 – 2.0 % | Controls fired colour |
| TiO2 | 0.8 – 1.8 % | — |
| K2O | 1.5 – 3.0 % | From the mica fraction |
| Loss on ignition | 8 – 12 % | — |
Physical properties
| Property | Typical range | Method basis |
|---|---|---|
| Modulus of rupture, dry | 3.0 – 6.5 MPa | Test bar |
| Residue on 300 mesh | 0.5 – 3.0 % | Wet sieve |
| Water of plasticity | 28 – 38 % | — |
| Fired shrinkage at 1,200 °C | 6 – 11 % | — |
| Moisture as packed | ≤ 12 % | Supplied lump or shredded |
These are typical ranges for ball clay, not a specification. The values that govern your order are the ones measured on your lot and printed on its mill test certificate. Ask for a sample and the certificate that goes with it before you commit a production trial.
Where it is used
Ball Clay is not one product sold 2 ways — it is 2 different conversations about the same mineral. We supply it into ceramics & sanitaryware and foundry & refractories, and in each of those the grade that works is chosen for a different reason: fineness in one, brightness in another, oil absorption or purity in the next.
Each industry below has its own page on this site, written for the people who formulate in it rather than for a general reader. If you work in one of them, start there — it will tell you which ball clay grade we would quote for your application and what we need to know before quoting it.
- Ceramics & Sanitaryware — Plasticiser and green-strength former in casting and pressing bodies.
- Foundry & Refractories — Bonding clay in refractory mixes and monolithics.
Consistency beats peak performance. A ceramics plant can adjust a body to almost any ball clay, once. What it cannot absorb is a clay that moves between shipments. We hold to one deposit and one blend per customer, and flag any change before it ships rather than after.
Packing
| Pack | Detail | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 25 kg paper or PP bag | Palletised 40 bags per pallet, stretch-wrapped | Powders |
| 50 lb bag | US-standard weight where the plant prefers it | Powders |
| 1,000 kg / 1 MT jumbo bag | Four-loop FIBC with discharge spout | Powders, sand, granules |
| Bulk | Pneumatic tanker or loose in container, where volume justifies it | Sand, granules, lump |
Private-label bags with your own artwork are available from one container. How private label works.
Documents with every shipment
- Mill test certificate for the lot, with the measured values, not the range
- Certificate of analysis signed by the processing plant
- Safety data sheet in the US 16-section GHS format
- Certificate of origin and the commercial invoice and packing list
- Asbestos test report where the mineral and the application call for one
Related minerals
Need a price on ball clay?
Send the grade, the tonnage and the delivery ZIP code. Quote and free sample back within one business day.