Porcelain stoneware vs ceramics: complete material guide

By Osman Orman · Tile and technical specialist at Tegelmonsters

Porcelain vs. ceramics is not an opposition but a relationship: porcelain is the densest type within the broader ceramics family, with the lowest water absorption. Ceramics is the overarching material, porcelain the heaviest class thereof.

The difference lies in composition, firing process, and density. Together, these three determine where a tile is technically suitable, from a dry interior wall to a terrace that withstands dozens of frost nights every year.

Material

What is the difference between porcelain vs ceramic?

The term ceramics covers a broad family. Every fired clay tile falls under it, from a light, glossy wall tile to a heavy patio tile. Within that family, three main groups differ in density: earthenware as the lightest and most porous type, stoneware as the middle group, and porcelain as the densest and strongest variant. Porcellanato is the Italian word for porcelain tile, often referred to as gres porcellanato in specialist literature.

That glazed body makes porcelain the benchmark for demanding projects. Water absorption is the physical property that classifies the body: the percentage of water the clay absorbs relative to its dry weight. Porcelain remains below 0,5 percent, while more porous ceramics are well above that. The complete classification and measurement method are described in our guide on water absorption of ceramic tiles, so that you consult the standard background there and this article focuses on the material difference.

The classification is internationally established. EN 14411 and the corresponding ISO 13006 divide ceramic tiles according to design and absorption into groups from BIa to BIII. For the architect or specifier, this scale provides a legible starting point: the group is listed on the manufacturer's datasheet and indicates at a glance whether a tile belongs indoors, outdoors, on the floor, or only on a dry wall.

Baking process

How does the firing process determine the density of porcelain?

The density is baked into the recipe. Porcelain stoneware starts with kaolin, a fine, white clay, supplemented with quartz and feldspar as fluxing agents. This mixture is fed into the press under high pressure and then into the kiln. Around 1.250 degrees, the feldspar partially melts and fills the spaces between the clay particles. The result is an almost completely vitrified shard with less than half a percent water absorption.

With more porous ceramics, that same process does not progress as far. Stoneware uses a coarser, often darker natural clay and fires between 1.150 and 1.250 degrees, resulting in an absorption of 3 to 6 percent. Earthenware wall tiles, also known as faience in the trade, fire at even lower temperatures, resulting in an absorption of over 10 percent. These pores make the tile lighter and cheaper to produce, which is precisely why it works perfectly well for a dry wall zone.

For the specification, it is particularly important that the firing process is irreversible. A porous body cannot be made denser afterwards, and a glaze layer does not change the core. The type of material is therefore fixed at the time of purchase and determines the rest of the properties. Our manufacturers from Spain and Portugal demonstrate annually at Cersaie in Bologna how the pressing pressure and firing temperature differ per collection, and these differences are reflected in the absorption designation on the datasheet.

Absorption

Which water absorption class corresponds to which material?

The absorption value is the common thread throughout this entire subject. It is the number by which EN 14411 objectively classifies a tile, measured according to ISO 10545-3 under vacuum conditions. Porcelain retains a maximum of half a percent of water, which makes the body frost-resistant, stain-resistant, and easy to clean. More porous ceramics absorb more water and are therefore less load-bearing. We elaborate on the precise measurement method and a decision table per project zone in the water absorption article, so that you can clearly see the material differences side by side here.

The table shows that the choice is rarely black and white. Each material has a zone where it belongs and where it performs cost-effectively. For a dry bathroom wall, a tile does not need to be frost-resistant, so lighter earthenware or stoneware provides exactly what you need there. For a facade or a commercial floor, the choice shifts towards porcelain, because the dense body withstands the heavier load for years without maintenance issues.

Level

How do breaking load, hardness, and wear resistance differ?

Strength follows directly from density. Pores are weak points in the body: the more voids, the sooner a tile will fail under point loading or bending. Because porcelain stoneware is virtually pore-free, the force is distributed more evenly throughout the material. The flexural strength is determined according to ISO 10545-4, where a tile rests on two supports and is loaded centrally until fracture. The result in Newtons per square millimeter is stated on the datasheet.

In addition to breaking load, wear resistance on the floor is also important. A dense porcelain body wears more slowly under foot traffic, making the tile suitable for shops, offices, and the hospitality industry. More porous wall ceramics are not intended for this purpose, and it is precisely this difference in load-bearing capacity that makes the choice of material so decisive. For large surfaces, high strength plays a second role: it allows for thin slabs in large formats. We elaborate on the trade-offs regarding size and transport in our guide for large format tiles in projects.

Building

What is the difference between veined and glazed porcelain?

Within porcelain stoneware, there are two constructions that are distinguished in specifications. Veined porcelain stoneware, also known in the trade as technical or full-body, is colored throughout the mass: the pattern runs through the entire thickness. As a result, wear or a beveled edge shows the same material as the top surface. This is a practical advantage for stairs, industrial halls, and busy public floors.

Glazed porcelain uses a thin layer of glaze onto which the design is printed. The underlying body is just as dense and strong, but offers greater design freedom: high-resolution prints create a convincing marble, concrete, or wood look. This is the standard choice for most residential and commercial projects. If you want a sleek installation with minimal grout, combine this with rectified edges; the relationship between edge finish and grout width is determined by our selection guide for joint width in rectified tilesRectification means that the edges are ground straight to the exact size after firing.

Application

Where do you specify porcelain and where ceramics?

The zone dictates the choice of material. A terrace in a Dutch climate experiences dozens of freeze-thaw cycles annually, and only porcelain stoneware in BIa passes the ISO 10545-12 frost resistance test without reservation. A bathroom floor requires stain resistance and low absorption; porcelain stoneware is suitable there as well. A dry bedroom wall, on the other hand, imposes neither of these requirements, making lighter and cheaper wall ceramics a sensible choice. The performance requirements for floor and wall finishes are described at Building Decree Online, the standard classification itself is managed via NEN.

Maintenance goes hand in hand with absorption. The dense body of porcelain absorbs hardly any moisture or stains, so cleaning is done with water and a neutral agent. More porous ceramics, and certainly unglazed earthenware, require attention: they absorb liquid more quickly and may need impregnation. Those who want the warm, artisanal look of earthenware with the maintenance burden of porcelain will find the balance between the two in our guide to authentic terracotta tiles.

For the specification writer, everything comes together on the first line of the specification block: the classification according to EN 14411 with the group designation, followed by size, surface, and adhesive and joint class. The material type automatically dictates the rest. The complete ten-field elaboration is included in our guide to wall tile specifications, so that you record a traceable choice per zone.

Sample package

How do you put together a sample pack for porcelain and ceramics?

A sample pack makes the material difference tangible. On the collection page, you can filter for free by zone, size, finish, and material type. For an outdoor zone, set the filter to porcelain in BIa; for a dry wall, a more porous class may suffice. This way, the tiles used in project architecture are immediately visible, and you can bundle the pack per project via the Sample Folder. What project managers often tell us: the initial selection is made online, with a physical assessment following in our showroom in Utrecht, which is open to professionals by appointment only.

Our manufacturers from Spain and Portugal supply technical datasheets with the exact absorption designation per collection. This allows you to fill in the specification block directly from the delivery documents and link each tile to the correct material group. The most frequently asked question our team receives is precisely about this: which type suits this zone? The answer always starts with the absorption on the datasheet.

Frequently asked questions