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Calcium phosphate, glass and crystals; a hot first firing and a cooler second; a few standards that connect names to measurements.
From ingredients to kiln to microstructure, then the standards.
Go deeper, one step at a time
Each article starts simply. Technical detail is kept in “Look closer” panels, and every page links onward.
- IntroductionWhat bone china is made ofCalcium phosphate, china clay and china stone: what each does, how bone ash is made, and modern alternative formulations.
- DeeperFiring and vitrificationWhat happens in the kiln: vitrification, shrinkage, the high biscuit and lower glost firing, and why pieces need support.
- ReferenceMicrostructure and lightAnorthite and beta-tricalcium phosphate in a glassy matrix: how the fired structure connects composition to translucency and strength.
- ReferenceStandards: what makes bone china “bone china”ISO 5644:2024 and its 35% tricalcium phosphate definition, EN 1900, BS 8654, ASTM C242, JIS, test methods, certification and “new bone china”.
- DeeperHow to identify genuine bone chinaWhat translucency, backstamps, weight and sound can and cannot prove, what “new bone china” means, and how composition is actually verified.