The technical definition of ceramics encompasses a much greater variety of products than is normally realized. To most people, the word ceramics means dinnerware, figureines, vases, and other objects of ceramic art. The majority of ceramic products not generally recognized as such are much more recent in development and are, in general, utilitarian rather than aesthetic. Examples are bathtubs, washbowls, sinks, electrical insulating devices, water and sewerage pipes, bricks, hollow tile, glazed building tile, floor and wall tile, earthenware, porcelain enamel and glass.
Ceramic products have a number of outstanding properties which determine their usefulness.
One of the most unusual of these is their great durability. The high chemical durability of the great majority of ceramic products makes them resistant to almost all acids, alkalies, and organic solvents. Of further importance is the fact that ceramic materials are not affected by oxygen. The materials generally contained in the ceramic products have already combined with all of the oxygen for which they have an affinity, and therefore, are not affected further by the presence of oxygen in their environment. The mechanical durability of ceramics is evidenced by their strength and hardness.