Ceramic Sanitary Wares

When it comes to long-term heavy-duty use in sanitary facilities, there’s nothing better than ceramic sanitary wares – a solution tried and tested over decades of use.

Almost without exception, therefore, glazed ceramic finishes are found on washbasins, toilets, urinals and bidets in public premises – hospitals, hotels – that are subject to high levels of use.

The durability of ceramic sanitary wares is thanks to exceptional hardness in their base construction and glazed surfaces. Ceramic sanitary wares are resistant to cosmetics, hair-dye, aggressive cleaning agents and even hydrochloric acid. Based on raw materials such as quartz and feldspar that are also used in glassmaking, the surface is sealed, fused, hygienic, easy to maintain and highly durable. The high-quality fired colours exhibit long-term fade-resistance.

The base materials are natural mineral products such as clay, kaolin, quartz and feldspar. These minerals also form the basis of the mixture for manufacturing porcelain. The term 'porcelain washbasins' is therefore also used.

In the manufacture of both porcelain and ceramics, the watery, paste-like mineral mixture is piped into moulds, dried by moisture removal, taken out of the mould and glazed before being fired, fused and sintered at temperatures of more than 1200 °C to form a crystalline, fine-pored, homogeneous, hard and durable unit.

Together with the glaze, this leads to the formation of fairly smooth transitions with narrow, barely perceptible tolerances. Deviations do not disrupt the overall design and are functionally irrelevant. Tolerances lie in the range of +/- 3–5%.

Achieving high quality in ceramic sanitary wares and porcelain requires high levels of investment and multiple production runs that demand elaborate monitoring. For this reason, manufacturing was traditionally restricted to fairly conservative designs.

Now, however, things have changed. Today’s range of ceramic sanitary wares is contemporary and modern yet straightforward and classic – and features an extensive selection of fashionable designs.