Types of Porcelain
- Porcelain can be divided into three main categories: hard-paste, soft-paste, and bone china.
- Hard-paste porcelain is made from kaolin, alabaster, feldspar, and quartz.
- Soft-paste porcelain is made by mixing clay with frit and firing at lower temperatures.
- Bone china is made from bone ash, kaolin, and china stone.
- Porcelain can also be classified as proto-porcelain, porcellaneous, or near-porcelain based on its whiteness and translucency.

History and Production
- Porcelain was invented in China during a centuries-long development period.
- Hard-paste porcelain was used in Japanese porcelain and Meissen factory in Europe produced the earliest European hard-paste porcelain.
- Soft-paste porcelains were early attempts by European potters to replicate Chinese porcelain.
- Bone china was developed in England as a competitor to imported porcelain.
- Porcelain production reached new heights during the Song dynasty in China.
- Chinese porcelain was highly prised in the Islamic world and exported to Asia, Europe, and Africa.
- Japanese porcelain production began with the arrival of Korean potters captured during the Japanese invasions of Korea.
- Arita became a prominent region for porcelain production in Japan.
- Russian Imperial Porcelain Factory in Saint Petersburg became a major European producer.
- Soft-paste porcelain was produced in France, Italy, and England.

Materials and Firing
- Porcelain is primarily made from the clay mineral kaolinite.
- Other raw materials used in porcelain production include feldspar, ball clay, glass, bone ash, steatite, quartz, petuntse, and alabaster.
- Porcelain clays have lower plasticity compared to other pottery clays.
- Porcelain is fired at a higher temperature than earthenware to achieve vitrification and non-porosity.
- Firing temperatures for porcelain can reach over 1,300°C.

Decoration
- Porcelain can receive underglaze decoration using pigments like cobalt oxide and copper.
- Overglaze enamels are also used for decoration, allowing a wider range of colors.
- Modern porcelains are biscuit-fired and then glaze-fired at a high temperature.
- Another method is once-fired, where the glaze is applied to the unfired body and fired together in a single operation.

Applications and Manufacturers
- Porcelain is widely used for insulators in electrical power transmission systems.
- Porcelain tiles are made using the dust-pressed method and are dense and smooth.
- Glazed porcelain has been used for personal hygiene and vitreous china is now the dominant material for modern sanitaryware.
- Dental porcelain is used for dental restorations and is widely used in cosmetic dentistry.
- Germer Porcelanas Finas, Porcelana Schmidt, Blue Ridge, CoorsTek, Inc., Polskie Fabryki Porcelany Ćmielów i Chodzież S.A., Kristoff Porcelana, and Lubiana S.A. are some porcelain manufacturers.

Note: The content has been organised into 5 comprehensive groups, combining identical concepts while keeping facts, statistics, and detailed points.