What is Porcelain/Fine China?
Porcelain is the European equivalent of Bone China
with an initial firing temperature of 960°C, and a secondary firing
temperature of between 1400°C and 1450°C. The typical body composition
consists of 50% china clay, 25% feldspar, and 25% quartz which gives
porcelain its renowned strength.
The advantages of porcelain are it's smooth, resistant glaze, which
allows for stacking without scratching, a high chip-resistance, and
a lead-proof non-porous and white translucent body.
What is Earthenware?
Earthenware has an initial firing temperature of between 1100°C and 1180°C, and a secondary firing temperature of between 950°C and 1040°C. The typical body composition consists of 50% normal clay, 35% quartz, and 15% chalk spar (Dolomit).
What is Stoneware?
Stoneware has an initial firing temperature of 850°C,
and a secondary firing temperature of between 1180°C and 1280°C. However,
if the items are undecorated, it need only be fired once at a temperature
between 1180°C and 1280°C. The typical body composition consists of
45% normal clay, 40% quartz, and 15% feldspar (or different Cornish
stone).
The advantages of stoneware are it's very resistant glaze, which
allows for stacking without scratching, and is extremely tough.
How do I best protect my pottery from damage?
All pottery should be heated and cooled gradually, any extreme change of temperature (i.e. directly from fridge to oven, etc.) could result in the pottery breaking due to thermal shock.
Pottery glazes vary from hard to soft, and if inexpensive cutlery
is used (i.e. anything below 18/10 quality stainless steel or serrated knives),
it could result in metal marking of the pottery. This is not the fault of the
pottery but due to the deposition of steel from the cutlery.
Unfortunately this problem may become more prevalent because of the large
quantities of inferior quality cutlery currently flooding the UK market.
Stoneware and Porcelain without metallic banding is suitable for repeated use in the oven, microwave, and dishwasher. If a metallic band (normally gold or platinum) is used on the porcelain, which is hand applied after firing and is very soft, over a period of time it may fade if not properly cared for. Therefore, it is recommended to be extra careful when stacking, it should never be used in an oven or microwave, and is only suitable for dishwashing occasionally, using a recommended cleaning product.
For more help in caring for your porcelain see our fine china care leaflet.