ForMatter/Materials/ceramic/Porcelain
mat_porcelain

Porcelain

kaolin-based vitreous ceramic, high-fired · china clay porcelain, hard-paste porcelain, fine china
highlast updated 2026-04-26
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The white, slightly translucent ceramic of teacups, bathroom sinks, and ancient Chinese vases. Made from kaolin clay fired hot enough to fuse the silica into a glassy matrix. Strong in compression, brittle in impact, vitreous (waterproof) without needing a glaze.

High-fired (~1300–1450 °C) ceramic from a triaxial body of kaolin (~50%), feldspar (~25%), quartz (~25%). Mullite crystals form in the matrix during firing, providing strength. Apparent porosity <0.5%. Standard for sanitaryware, electrical insulators, and translucent fine tableware.

mechanical

  • density_kg_m32400
  • youngs_modulus_gpa75
  • compressive_strength_mpa300
  • flexural_strength_mpa80
  • vickers_hardness_gpa7
source: MakeItFrom; AZoM porcelain references

thermal

  • max_service_c1000
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk1.5
  • thermal_expansion_per_k6e-06

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg1.2
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitylow — vitrified ceramic is essentially permanent; broken porcelain can be crushed for grog (filler) or hardcore
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certifications—
visual
white to slightly cream, faintly translucent at thin sections (the candlelight test)
tactile
smooth and cool, glassy where glazed, slightly grainy on unglazed bisque
weight perception
moderate to heavy
acoustic
ringing chime when tapped — the test for crack-free wares

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere glossy finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      glossy
albedo        #f0e8d8
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.40
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#f0e8d8",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.4,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Porcelain · finish: glossy
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_porcelain")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.8714, 0.807, 0.6867, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.400
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Porcelain · finish: glossy
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_porcelain", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (240, 232, 216))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.400)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Porcelain \u00b7 finish: glossy",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.8714,
    "g": 0.807,
    "b": 0.6867
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_porcelain",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.8714,
          0.807,
          0.6867,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        },
        "KHR_materials_clearcoat": {
          "clearcoatFactor": 0.4
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Porcelain · finish: glossy
def Material "mat_porcelain" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_porcelain/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.8714, 0.807, 0.6867)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.400
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessCNC Milling
Substitutes
Alumina (Aluminum Oxide, Al₂O₃)

Citations