January 21, 2026
By Arindam Chaudhuri, General Manager Quality, Somany Ceramics Limited
Human beings appear to have been making their own ceramics for at least 26,000 years, subjecting clay and silica to intense heat to fuse and form ceramic materials. The earliest ceramics made by humans were fired from clay bricks used for building house walls and other structures. Ceramics revolutionized with time through pottery objects like pots, vessels, vases, etc. These were prepared primarily by firing clay and other major minerals, silica. Later, with the advancement of technology, glazed ceramics became popular due to their smooth, coloured and glassy amorphous surface on a crystalline ceramic body. The benefits are many-very hard, high compressive strength, heat and corrosion resistant, apart from the aesthetic.
Ceramics now include domestic (potteries etc.), industrial(various types of refractory for steel, cement and other high-temperature high corrosive applications) and building products(tiles, sanitary wares commonly known as whitewares) as well as a wide range of materials developed for use in advanced ceramic engineering, such as semiconductor, aerospace engineering etc.
Most often, fired whiteware are either vitrified or semi-vitrified varying crystallinity and electron composition in the ionic and covalent bonds cause most ceramic materials to be good thermal and electrical insulators
As we understand, the primary raw materials for traditional ceramics which include tiles, sanitaryware are clay, silica and other special minerals.
Tiles are primarily classified based on the water absorption-wall tile, floor tile, and vitrified tile. Though the manufacturing process is almost similar, but the raw materials and process parameters widely differs based on the desired final properties
Wall tile has the highest water absorption due to its higher porosity made of clay (a group of kaolin), Fluxing materials like Feldspar and Silica. Calcium/magnesium carbonates/wollastonite are also added as special minerals to achieve the desired Water Absorption and thermal stability. It can be single fired or double fired, but the surface quality of later is always much superior to the Single fired route. The surface may be matte or glossy though glossy wall tiles are more popular. The glaze composition is primarily frits and china clay. The frits is a combination of various inorganic oxides like Silica, Alumina, Calcium Oxide, Boron Oxide, Zircon, Zinc oxide etc at suitable ratio to give the desired surface/texture.
At Somany, we produce a double firing route for both surfaces which makes our tiles very appealing. The first firing is called biscuit firing, and the second one is called Glost firing. The matching of Thermal expansion co-efficient of body and glaze plays an important role in eliminating defects like crazing where very thin cracks developed after use of few years. At Somany, we monitor the T E of body and Glaze to eliminate the crazing issue permanently.
In case of Ceramic Floor tile, the raw materials are various types of clay mixed with Feldspar as flux and soapstone as special raw mineral. These are given shape in hydraulic presses and after glazing wares fired at a higher temperature around 1170C. The fired tile has high modulus of rupture (more than 300 Kg/cm2); it can be of matte or semi glossy surface depending on the raw materials and firing curve maintained during firing process. The glaze again composed of Silica, Alumina, Feldspar, Boron oxide, Zircon, Zinc oxide, Calcium and Magnesium Oxide, Barium Oxide etc depending on the desired surface The matte surface can be satin or rustic for different application areas. Slip resistant floor tiles, ideal for Kitchen and washroom areas, can also be produced with R10/R11 depending on its Co-efficient of Friction (COF).
At Somany, we have a wide range of floor tiles with patented VC technology which makes the surface abrasion resistant even after 50K revolution as per IS13630(part-11) making it most suitable for high traffic areas. We also have Slip Shield floor tiles for wet areas by applying a top coating on the printed tile and fire subsequently at around 1170C to make it ever lasting with high COF
In case of vitrified tile, the raw materials are clay, soda and potash feldspar with soapstone. Glazed Vitrified tiles are available with polished or unpolished surface. After normal glazing, transparent top coating is applied and after firing at very high temperature (around 1200C), polishing is done through a series of abrasives. Abrasives are essential for achieving the polished, mirror-like finish on glazed vitrified tiles (GVT). In the polishing process, abrasives are used in a series of grinding and polishing steps to transform a rough, fired ceramic surface into a smooth, reflective, and highly durable finish. To maintain the glossiness, special chemical of nano (10-9 m) particle size is applied through a series of machines which fills the micro-pores generated by abrasives. The chemical also gives the tiles stain free surface making it suitable for domestic usage. Due to its wide variety of texture given through special glazes and changing the sequence of abrasive materials, GVT is becoming very popular
At Somany Ceramics, we have Germ Shield technology with patented VC technology for protection of health of our esteemed customers. The germ shield technology with a special formulation of glaze is embedded with tile and fired at around 1200C to give a lifelong protection from germs.
In today’s world, tiles can give a wide range of design (customised too) thanks to the state-of-the-art high resolution digital printing machine and surface finish with the development of various glaze composition. The tiles have edge over the other related materials with respect to the aesthetics, easy maintenance, long life and protection from germs etc. Now tiles are becoming a preferred choice for the elite customers even over Italian marble.
Arindam Chaudhuri is a veteran in the field of ceramics who has a total of 21 years of experience in production, quality, and technical processes in the ceramics and refractories sector. He is also a recognised expert in technical savvy, skilled analytical thinking and management of manufacturing settings, due to his ability to lead efficiency, excellence in processes and the quality of products produced. His career is an indication of high levels of discipline, mastery of the realm, and consistent work.
