Stoneware
Encyclopedia
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products. It is made primarily from non-refractory
Refractory
A refractory material is one that retains its strength at high temperatures. ASTM C71 defines refractories as "non-metallic materials having those chemical and physical properties that make them applicable for structures, or as components of systems, that are exposed to environments above...
fire clay.
Definition and description
Kitchenware
Kitchenware include utensils, appliances, dishes, cookware, and so on for use in the kitchen.-See also:*Cookware and bakeware*Dishware*Drinkware*List of eating utensils*List of food preparation utensils*List of Japanese cooking utensils...
, cookware and bakeware
Cookware and bakeware
Cookware and bakeware are types of food preparation containers commonly found in the kitchen. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and frying pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop. Bakeware comprises cooking vessels intended for use inside an oven...
, decorative bowls and vases, garden planters, electrical, chemical and laboratory ware. It is chip-resistant, and stoneware used in the kitchen can be safely used in the refrigerator, the oven, and the microwave.
Stoneware, like earthenware
Earthenware
Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
is made from fired clay. There are notable differences between the two, however.
Differences in undecorated (unpainted or unglazed) pieces of stoneware and earthenware:
| Stoneware | Earthenware Earthenware Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%... (ceramicware) |
|---|---|
| Watertight (Can hold water) | Not watertight |
| Chip resistant | Chips easily |
| Buff or terracotta clay colour | White colour |
| Feels textured | Feels chalky |
| Looks good painted or unpainted | Only looks good once painted |
| Withstands high and low temperatures | Does not withstand high or low temperatures |
| Ovensafe | Not ovensafe |
| Suited for practical household use | Suitable for decorative use |
| Painting bisque Bisque Bisque may refer to:* Bisque , a piece of unglazed pottery* Bisque , a thick, creamy soup made from puréed seafood or vegetables* Bisque, a free turn in a handicap croquet match* Bisque, a free point in a handicap real tennis match... : Wipe off mistakes. Glaze Glaze Glaze or glazing is a thin shiny coating, or the act of applying the coating; it may refer to:In materials or engineering:* Architectural glass, a building material typically used as transparent glazing material in the building envelope... s flow: bisque is not porous |
Painting bisque Bisque Bisque may refer to:* Bisque , a piece of unglazed pottery* Bisque , a thick, creamy soup made from puréed seafood or vegetables* Bisque, a free turn in a handicap croquet match* Bisque, a free point in a handicap real tennis match... : Cannot correct mistakes. Glaze Glaze Glaze or glazing is a thin shiny coating, or the act of applying the coating; it may refer to:In materials or engineering:* Architectural glass, a building material typically used as transparent glazing material in the building envelope... s adhere to bisque: bisque is porous |
| Firing Firing Dismissal is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons, ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in... : Leave the bottom of the piece dry and place on shelf |
Industry
One widely-recognized industry definition is from the Combined NomenclatureCombined Nomenclature
Council Regulation No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987, creates the goods nomenclature called the Combined Nomenclature, or in abbreviated form 'CN', established to meet, at one and the same time, the requirements both of the Common Customs Tariff and of the external trade statistics of the European...
of the European Communities, a European industry standard. It states:
"Stoneware, which, though dense, impermeable and hard enough to resist scratching by a steel point, differs from porcelainFormulations for stoneware vary considerably, although the vast majority will conform to: plastic fire clayPorcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
because it is more opaqueOpacity (optics)Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc...
, and normally only partially vitrified. It may be vitreous or semi-vitreous. It is usually coloured grey or brownish because of impurities in the clay used for its manufacture, and is normally glazed."
Fire clay
Fire clay is a term applied to a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick.High grade fire clays can withstand temperatures of 1775°C , but to be referred to as a "fire clay" the material must withstand a minimum temperature of 1515°C...
s 0–100%, ball clay
Ball clay
Ball clays are kaolinitic sedimentary clays, that commonly consist of 20-80% kaolinite, 10-25% mica, 6-65% quartz. Localized seams in the same deposit have variations in composition, including the quantity of the major minerals, accessory minerals and carbonaceous materials such as lignite...
s 0–15%, quartz, 0–30% feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
and chamotte
Grog (clay)
Grog, also known as firesand and chamotte, is a ceramic raw material. It has high percentage of silica and alumina. It can be produced by firing selected fire clays to high temperature before grinding and screening to specific particle sizes. It can also be produced from pitchers...
0 –15%
Stoneware is generally once-fired.“Once-fired Ware - ceramic whiteware to which a glaze is applied before the ware is fired, the bisque firing and glost firing then being combined in a single operation. Because the glaze must mature at a relatively high temperature, it is usually of the leadless type.” Dictionary Of Ceramics. Arthur Dodd & David Murfin. 3rd edition. The Institute Of Minerals. 1994. Maximum firing temperatures can vary significantly, from 1100 °C to 1300 °C depending on the flux content. Typically temperatures will be between 1180°C to 1280°C, the higher end of which equate to Bullers Rings
Pyrometric device
Pyrometric devices gauge heatwork when firing materials inside a kiln. Pyrometric devices do not measure temperature, but can report temperature equivalents...
38 to 40 & Seger cones 4 to 8
Pyrometric cone
Pyrometric cones are pyrometric devices that are used to gauge heatwork during the firing of ceramic materials. The cones, often used in sets of three as shown in the illustration, are positioned in a kiln with the wares to be fired and provide a visual indication of when the wares have reached a...
. To produce a better quality fired glaze
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
finish twice firing can be used, and this can be especially important for formulations composed of highly carbonaceous clays. For these, biscuit firing is around 900 °C and glost firing 1180–1280 °C. Water absorption of stoneware products is less than 1%.
Five industry categories have been suggested:
- Traditional stoneware - a dense and inexpensive body. It is opaque, can be of any colour and breaks with a conchoidalConchoidal fractureConchoidal fracture describes the way that brittle materials break when they do not follow any natural planes of separation. Materials that break in this way include flint and other fine-grained minerals, as well as most amorphous solids, such as obsidian and other types of glass.Conchoidal...
or stony fracture. Traditionally made of fine-grained secondary, plastic clays which can used to shape very large pieces. - Fine stoneware - made from more carefully selected, prepared and blended raw materials. It is used to produce tableware and art ware.
- Chemical stoneware - used in the chemical industry, and elsewhere when resistance to chemical attack is needed. Purer raw materialRaw materialA raw material or feedstock is the basic material from which a product is manufactured or made, frequently used with an extended meaning. For example, the term is used to denote material that came from nature and is in an unprocessed or minimally processed state. Latex, iron ore, logs, and crude...
s are used than for other stoneware bodies. Ali Baba is a popular name for a large chemical stoneware jars of up to 5,000 litres capacity used to store acids. - Thermal shock resistant stoneware – has additions of certain materials to enhance the thermal shockThermal shockThermal shock is the name given to cracking as a result of rapid temperature change. Glass and ceramic objects are particularly vulnerable to this form of failure, due to their low toughness, low thermal conductivity, and high thermal expansion coefficients...
resistance of the fired body. - Electrical stoneware - historically has been used for electrical insulators, although has been replaced by electrical porcelain.
Another type, Flintless Stoneware, has also been identified. It is defined in the UK Pottery (Health and Welfare) Special Regulations of 1950 as: "Stoneware, the body of which consists of natural clay to which no flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
or quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
or other form of free silica has been added."
History and notable examples
Earthenware was the first use of clay to make household vessels, and the earliest examples have been dated by archeologists to 50,000 years ago. Stoneware originated in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The invention of kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s resulted in higher temperatures for making pottery, essential for stoneware, and later porcelain. From the various definitions of high-fired ceramics, it is agreed that the earliest stoneware is encountered in the late Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
in China, with large quantities in production by the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
.
Other notable historical examples include:
- American StonewareAmerican StonewareThe term American Stoneware refers to the predominant houseware of 19th century North America—stoneware pottery usually covered in a salt glaze and often decorated using cobalt oxide to produce bright blue decorations. The vernacular term "crocks" is often used to describe this type of pottery,...
refers to the predominant houseware of 19th century North America.
- Bartmann jugBartmann jugA Bartmann jug , also called Bellarmine jug, is a type of decorated stoneware that was manufactured in Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the Cologne region in what is today western Germany...
- a type of decorated stoneware that was manufactured in Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
region of GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
- Böttger Ware - a dark red stoneware developed by Johann Friedrich BöttgerJohann Friedrich BöttgerJohann Friedrich Böttger was a Germanalchemist.He was generally acknowledged as the inventor of European porcelain although more recent sources ascribe this to Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus...
. It is a very significant stage in the development of porcelainPorcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
in Europe.
- Cane Ware - eighteenth-century English stoneware of a light brown colour; it was a considerable advance on the coarse pottery that preceded it but, for use as tableware, cane ware was soon displaced by white earthenwareEarthenwareEarthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
. During the 19th and the earlier part of the 20th century, however, cane ware continued to be made in South DerbyshireDerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and the Burton-on-Trent area as kitchen-ware and sanitary-ware; it had a fine-textured cane-coloured body with a white engobe on the inner surface often referred to as cane and white.
- Crouch Ware - light-coloured StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
salt-glazed stoneware of the early 18th century. It is credited as being one of the earliest examples of stoneware made in England. It was made from a clay from CrichCrichCrich is a village in Derbyshire in England. It has the National Tramway Museum inside the Crich Tramway Village, and at the summit of Crich Hill above, a Memorial Tower for those of the Sherwood Foresters regiment who died in battle, particularly in World War I.Built in 1923 on the site of an...
, DerbyshireDerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, the word `crouch' being a corruption.
- Rosso Antico - a red unglazed stoneware made in England during the 18th century by Josiah WedgwoodJosiah WedgwoodJosiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
, and was a refinement of the redware previously made in North Staffordshire by the Elers.
External links
- Beardman jugs from the Avondster site -- Provides photographs and history of early Rhenish stoneware vessels, produced circa 16th century-18th century.
- Japanese stoneware in the collection of the Asia Society.