Porcelain
Density of porcelain
2,400 kg/m³ (2,300–2,500)
2.40 g/cm³ · 149.8 lb/ft³
Fired to 1200-1400 °C, hot enough that the body vitrifies into a glass-bonded solid with under 0.5% porosity — that is the actual definition, and it is what makes porcelain tiles frost-proof and earthenware ones not. Being effectively glass-bonded it has no melting point, softening only above about 1300 °C. Its combination of hardness, electrical resistance and weather resistance is why overhead line insulators have been porcelain for over a century despite polymer alternatives.
Properties
- Density
- 2,400 kg/m³ (2,300–2,500) — 2.40 g/cm³
- Tensile strength
- 25–50 MPa
- Young's modulus
- 70 GPa
- Thermal conductivity
- 1.5 W/(m·K)
- Hardness
- 7 Mohs
- Thermal expansion
- 6 µm/(m·K)
- Floats in water
- No
- Magnetic
- No
What it is used for
- Tableware and sanitaryware
- Floor and wall tiles
- High-voltage line insulators
- Spark plug bodies and laboratory ware
How it compares
Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.
air 1.2 kg/m³
expanded polystyrene foam 20 kg/m³
rigid polyurethane foam 40 kg/m³
Water — the float line 1,000 kg/m³
porcelain 2,400 kg/m³
tungsten 19,250 kg/m³
gold 19,300 kg/m³
platinum 21,450 kg/m³
| Material | Density | Relative to water |
|---|---|---|
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| porcelain ← | 2,400 kg/m³ | 2.40× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |
Does it rust?
Porcelain contains no iron, so it cannot rust. Whether it degrades depends on the material, not on oxidation.
Is it magnetic?
Porcelain is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Common questions
- What is the density of porcelain?
- 2,400 kg/m³ (2,300–2,500), or 2.40 g/cm³.
- Does porcelain float?
- No. At 2,400 kg/m³ it is denser than water.
- Is porcelain magnetic?
- Porcelain is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Related pages
- Does porcelain float? No
- Concrete 2,400 kg/m³
- Brick 1,900 kg/m³
- Gypsum board (drywall) 700 kg/m³
- Tungsten carbide 14,900 kg/m³
- Reinforced concrete 2,500 kg/m³
- Graphite 2,200 kg/m³
- Plaster 1,100 kg/m³
- Silicon carbide 3,210 kg/m³
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place