Porcelain is not all the same: Vitroporcelain and Bone China compared
One time we were in the Royal Copenhagen flagship store in Copenhagen. The boxes were clearly marked "China" – and my partner at the time was puzzled that the products apparently came from China. I had to smile: "China" means not only the country in English, but also porcelain. The term is even more common there than "porcelain".
There are many such misunderstandings surrounding porcelain. As a graduate engineer in glass technology and ceramics, I will explain the differences between vitreous china and bone china here – and why the Moomin mugs by Arabia and the mugs by Bo Bendixen are so different, even though both are called "porcelain".
The most important things at a glance
- Vitreous china is a very highly fired stoneware – and can be more impact-resistant and robust than hard porcelain. Typical for the Moomin mugs by Moomin by Arabia.
- Bone china, or bone porcelain in German, is a soft porcelain with a particularly smooth surface and bright colors. Bo Bendixen uses this for his mugs.
- Dishwasher and microwave: no problem with either – as long as there is no gold, silver, or platinum in the decoration.
- Oven: vitreous china yes, bone china no – it is not cookware.
- In everyday use: bone china needs to be handled a little more carefully than vitreous and hard porcelain.
First, let's sort out: stoneware, stoneware, porcelain
Stoneware is a huge umbrella term for various ceramic materials. Stoneware and porcelain are not part of it – even if the terms are often confused, especially in English. The benchmark here is hard porcelain, which most people know from everyday life.
By the way, the main raw material for porcelain is kaolin. It is named after a mountain in China, where the Chinese found a perfect porcelain mass. This allowed them to work thinner than is common with European porcelain.
Vitreous china: the robust stoneware
Vitreous china belongs to the stoneware group, but is fired exceptionally high for a stoneware: at 1200 to 1280 °C. Hard porcelain is fired even hotter, at 1350 to 1450 °C. The decisive difference, however, lies in the glass phase: It is 65 to 70 % in vitreous china, while in hard porcelain it is firmly defined at 60 %.
The result: vitreous china is a very robust material that can be more impact-resistant than hard porcelain – at approximately the same weight. It is oven-safe and has a high resistance to temperature changes: temperature jumps of about 80 degrees, such as hot tea in a cold mug, it handles without any problems. Dishwasher, microwave, and oven are not an issue.
A small tip for research: vitreous china is often incorrectly translated into English as "vitro porcelain". The English technical term is Vitreous China.
How do the Moomins get on the mug?
The motifs are applied as ceramic decals. These images are made using screen printing. During firing, the carrier film burns off, and the motif is firmly fired into the surface. That is why the decorations are dishwasher-safe. And because Moomin by Arabia does not use decorations with gold, silver, or platinum, the mugs can also go in the microwave.
Bone china: the fine bone porcelain
"Fine Bone China" is commonly used in German today, but is actually not correct. The German term is Knochenporzellan, and it belongs to the soft porcelain group. Traditionally, bone meal from beef is added to the mass – up to 50 %. Today, there is also a vegan version.
Bone china is fired lower than hard porcelain, at 1200 to 1250 °C. What is especially important is the glaze firing at 1050 to 1080 °C: The lower temperature allows brighter colors to be produced, which no longer work at the higher temperatures of hard and vitreous china.
In addition, the material is more elastic than hard porcelain and can therefore be made thinner – this, for example, made the success of Dibber mugs. The surface is smoother, colors come out better. The body is slightly cream-colored, not white like hard porcelain. By the way, this cream tone is even more pronounced in vitreous china.
A common misconception: Bone china is translucent. For this, it is usually made too thick – even the thin bone china from Dibber does not seem to be translucent.
Why Bo Bendixen uses bone china
Bo Bendixen has his mugs made in Japan – and chose bone china solely because of its more valuable appearance and feel. In everyday use, the mugs differ mainly in exactly that: the feel in the hand and the brightness of the colors. Bo Bendixen was an absolute quality freak as a person – and you can feel it.
However, bone china is not cookware and needs to be handled a little more carefully than hard and vitreous porcelain. The dishwasher and microwave are no problem with the Bo Bendixen mugs, because they have no decorations with gold or silver.
Vitreous china, bone china, and hard porcelain compared
| Vitreous china | Bone china | Hard porcelain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification | Stoneware, very highly fired | Soft porcelain | Porcelain |
| Firing temperature | 1200–1280 °C | 1200–1250 °C, glaze firing 1050–1080 °C | 1350–1450 °C |
| Glass phase | 65–70 % | – | 60 % |
| Body | cream-colored | slightly cream-colored | white |
| Special feature | can be more impact-resistant than hard porcelain | bright colors, smooth surface, can be made thin | the classic |
| In everyday use | very robust | handle more carefully | robust |
| Oven | yes | no | – |
The dishwasher and microwave are no problem with all three materials – with one exception that always applies: decorations with gold, silver, or platinum should never go in the microwave or dishwasher – metals cannot be fired in as high as ceramic colors.
From the engineering corner
Flat parts like plates can be pressed isostatically from vitreous china as dry powder. This greatly increases automation in production. The pioneer in the 1980s was Villeroy & Boch, which gained a considerable competitive advantage with this. Arabia also later switched to vitreous china – and the higher firing meant the end for the classic Ruska with its special glaze.
At Nordlichttraum
You will find the robust Moomin mugs made of vitreous china at Moomin by Arabia, the fine mugs made of bone china at Bo Bendixen. Both together and even more can be found in the category Mugs. You can read more about the people behind them in my posts about the Moomins and Bo Bendixen. And those who like it even more robust will find everything about glass and steel tableware in my enamel guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is vitreous china real porcelain? No. Vitreous china belongs to the stoneware group – but it is fired so high that it can be more impact-resistant than hard porcelain.
What does "China" mean in bone china? "China" is a common word for porcelain in English. Bone china therefore means bone porcelain.
Are the Moomin mugs by Arabia dishwasher and microwave safe? Yes. The decorations are fired in and contain no metals.
And the mugs by Bo Bendixen? Also yes. But they do not belong in the oven – bone china is not cookware.
Is bone china translucent? Usually not. It is usually made too thick for that.
Is there bone china without animal components? Yes, a vegan version is now also available.
Conclusion
Porcelain is not all the same. Vitreous china is the robust workhorse for everyday use – oven-safe, dishwasher-safe, and even more impact-resistant than some hard porcelain. Bone china is the finer material: smoother, brighter, pleasant in the hand, but needs to be handled with a little more care. Which mug is the right one depends on what is more important to you – robustness or appearance.
And personally? My favorite material is actually earthenware. The blue-rimmed mugs by Royal Copenhagen are not quite as funny and are significantly more sensitive – but because of the low firing, their glaze is particularly smooth, and the coffee simply tastes especially good in it. Nevertheless, I prefer to reach for the mugs by Bo Bendixen and the Moomin mugs. They convey joy of life.
About the author: Andreas Walther is a graduate engineer in glass technology and ceramics and has been associated with Scandinavian manufacturers for over 25 years. At Nordlichttraum, he personally selects every product.