What is full-body ceramic?
Full-body ceramic means that a ceramic product consists entirely of the same fired material, from the surface to the core. Examples are bricks, tiles and quarry tiles. There is no glaze, coating or other top layer with a different colour from the rest. In Dutch it is called volkeramisch.
Advantage
If a full-body ceramic product is damaged, the same material appears as on the surface. A chip, scratch or worn spot is therefore much less noticeable than on a glazed tile, where a lighter body becomes visible under the glaze. Comparable terms are solid plastic and solid foam, for example for worktops and profiles.
Applications
- Floor tiles in busy areas: shops, entrances, hospitality and commercial spaces, where wear and dropped objects are unavoidable.
- Facade cladding and facing bricks: with through-coloured material the facade stays uniform after damage or a saw cut.
- Stair treads and thresholds: places that wear quickly at the edge.
- Outdoor floors: where sand and frost attack the surface.
What to look out for
- Through-coloured is not always the same: some tiles are coloured through, but still have a printed decorative layer. When damaged you see the right colour, but not the pattern.
- Ask: manufacturers use various names. Check the product information to see whether the tile is really coloured through the full body.
- Wear resistance and water absorption are separate properties. Full-body says something about the build-up, not automatically about suitability for outdoor or heavy use.
- Cutting and grinding: with full-body tiles you can grind or bevel edges without a different colour showing.
Related terms
- Brick
- Quarry tile
- Split tile
- Tile support
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