Ceramic Facts

Characteristics of Ceramics

• Ceramics are a man-made material that is non-metallic, inorganic, and not naturally occurring.


• Ceramics have one of the highest known melting point of all materials. Some carbide ceramics do not melt until reaching a temperature of 7225° F (3997° C). For this reason, carbide ceramics and other types of ceramics are very useful in making molds and processing metal in their liquid state.


• Ceramics are classified into two major categories including monolithic ceramics and composite ceramics. Monolithic ceramics are made from a single chemical compound. Composite ceramics contain multiple chemical compounds.


• There are two classifications grouped by the way atoms are arranged in ceramics. A ceramic with an orderly arrangement of atoms is known as a crystalline ceramic. If the atoms have no specific order, the ceramic is considered an amorphous ceramic. An example of an amorphous ceramic is glass.

Ceramics Strength Facts

• Crystalline ceramics have a high tensile strength because of a perfect crystal structure


• Ceramics have high hardness.


• Ceramics have a high compressive strength.


• Ceramics have a high shear resistance.


• Ceramics have a high corrosion resistance.


• Ceramics have a low coefficient of thermal expansion


• Ceramics form crystalline structures, but have no free valence electrons. All electrons are shared ionically or in covalent bonds.

Facts about Ceramic Electrical Properties

• Ceramics have a low ductility (ceramic is brittle).


• Ceramics have a low electrical conductivity