Tableware materials & techniques
At Pomax, all our services are made from either porcelain or stoneware. Both are part of the ceramic family, but the elements that make them up differ. Find out about the properties of each material and the techniques we use to make our designs unique.
Porcelain is a light, hard ceramic made with fine and thin china clay, also known as kaolin. Originating in ancient China, the basic clay is first formed and dried before being glazed. The dry clay is fired a first time, then glazed, and then baked a second time at a very high temperature. This varies between 1280 and 1400°C, depending on the glaze and the colour.
Due to the high firing temperature, the porosity is very low and the porcelain waterproof. Porcelain is special in its extremes; it is both light and strong, which makes it interesting for catering professionals.
Porcelain
Stoneware is a ceramic made from malleable clay, quartz kaolin and feldspar sand, whose grains are clearly larger than those of the clay mixture of porcelain. It therefore has a slightly coarser appearance: slightly less fine, slightly less white, but hard and resistant.
Stoneware is baked at high temperatures (between 1200 and 1300°C), is resistant to heat exchange (you can cook in it) and has a very low absorption rate (less than 5%). The big difference is in the weight: stoneware is quite heavy.
Stoneware
Reactive glaze
Some of our dinnerware lines are coated with reactive enamel, giving them beautiful colours and shades, and making each piece unique.
Underglaze
Underglaze is a decoration made from pigments painted directly onto the clay before the final glaze is applied, which makes it durable over time. It allows you to draw patterns on plates, bowls and other pottery.
Wax
By applying wax directly to the ceramic, it is possible to create areas where the glaze does not react to the firing and dissapears as wax melts. This makes it possible to alternate between shiny and matt areas.
At Pomax, all our services are made from either porcelain or stoneware. Both are part of the ceramic family, but the elements that make them up differ. Find out about the properties of each material and the techniques we use to make our designs unique.
Tableware materials & techniques
Porcelain
Porcelain is a light, hard ceramic made with fine and thin china clay, also known as kaolin. Originating in ancient China, the basic clay is first formed and dried before being glazed. The dry clay is fired a first time, then glazed, and then baked a second time at a very high temperature. This varies between 1280 and 1400°C, depending on the glaze and the colour.
Due to the high firing temperature, the porosity is very low and the porcelain waterproof. Porcelain is special in its extremes; it is both light and strong, which makes it interesting for catering professionals.
Stoneware
Stoneware is a ceramic made from malleable clay, quartz kaolin and feldspar sand, whose grains are clearly larger than those of the clay mixture of porcelain. It therefore has a slightly coarser appearance: slightly less fine, slightly less white, but hard and resistant.
Stoneware is baked at high temperatures (between 1200 and 1300°C), is resistant to heat exchange (you can cook in it) and has a very low absorption rate (less than 5%). The big difference is in the weight: stoneware is quite heavy.
Reactive glaze
Some of our dinnerware lines are coated with reactive enamel, giving them beautiful colours and shades, and making each piece unique.
Underglaze
Underglaze is a decoration made from pigments painted directly onto the clay before the final glaze is applied, which makes it durable over time. It allows you to draw patterns on plates, bowls and other pottery.
Wax
By applying wax directly to the ceramic, it is possible to create areas where the glaze does not react to the firing and dissapears as wax melts. This makes it possible to alternate between shiny and matt areas.