What is the difference between china and porcelain?
They really are not that different. Porcelain and china have as many common characteristics as they have differences. From a restaurateur’s point of view there can be as much difference between two different pieces of china or porcelain as there would be between a piece of china and a piece of porcelain. Here are a few areas where differences can be pointed out… Porcelain body color is most often a “cool” white, where china body color is often a “warm” white. For porcelain, vitrification occurs during the second firing of a two fire process (the second firing is hotter) whereas with china, vitrification occurs during the first firing of a two fire process (the first firing is hotter). The vitrification firing of porcelain can be 10%-12% hotter than in the china process. This can create a harder, more brittle, finished surface but can restrict the decorating palette for in-glaze color. There is an absence of glaze on a porcelain foot (although it is highly polished) due to the firing
