Stoneware

Stoneware is a term that describes ceramics that are fired art a temperature of above 1100°C, a higher temperature than of earthenwares. The higher firing temperature of stonewares increases their vitrification and hence resistance to water and weathering as well as increasing overall strength. The greater specificity of clay composition and the higher firing temperature required to produce stonewares is such that it is more technically demanding of the culture that produces them, however stonewares have been found in very early civilisations such as at the Indus Valley. Stoneware is an intermediate term between earthenware and porcelain and is not recognised in traditional East Asian ceramics, the distinction between stoneware and porcelain being a matter of debate. Stoneware may be fired with a wide variety of glazing techniques.