---
title: "Porcelain — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Porcelain has a density of 2,400 kg/m³ (2,300–2,500). Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/porcelain/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| 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?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/porcelain/)
- [Concrete](https://atoneplace.net/material/concrete/)
- [Brick](https://atoneplace.net/material/brick/)
- [Gypsum board (drywall)](https://atoneplace.net/material/gypsum-board/)
- [Tungsten carbide](https://atoneplace.net/material/tungsten-carbide/)
- [Reinforced concrete](https://atoneplace.net/material/reinforced-concrete/)
- [Graphite](https://atoneplace.net/material/graphite/)
- [Plaster](https://atoneplace.net/material/plaster/)
- [Silicon carbide](https://atoneplace.net/material/silicon-carbide/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)