Ceramic

materials · fire · ancient crafts

Fired at extreme heat. Ceramics are shaped from raw materials like clay, then baked in a kiln at temperatures hot enough to completely change their structure. Once fired, they become hard and strong, nothing like the soft clay you start with.

Lasts thousands of years. Ceramics resist breaking, don't rust or rot, and can handle extreme heat without melting. This is why ancient pottery bowls and roof tiles last for thousands of years, and why NASA uses ceramics on the heat shields of spacecraft.

Everyday superstars. You're surrounded by ceramics every day: the bricks in buildings, bathroom tiles, coffee mugs, and even the white porcelain in your kitchen sink all count as ceramics.

Hard and brittle. Ceramics are super hard and scratch-resistant, but they can shatter if you drop them because they're also brittle. This brittleness is their main weakness compared to metals or plastics.

Made from Earth's materials. Ceramics come from inorganic stuff dug from the ground, like clay, feldspar, and silica. No living things went into making them, unlike wood or leather.