Ceramic is a material, traditionally used to make pottery items. It is an inorganic and non-metallic material, which is solid in form, and is hardened by heating. During early days, ceramics were known only as pottery items, prepared out of clay.

The word ‘ceramic’ originated from ‘κεραμικός’ (keramikos) which is a Greek word, signifying pottery. According to Sanskrit, it denotes as ‘to burn’, the ceramic products known as burnt earth. The history of the ceramics can be traced with the discovery of Indus Valley Civilization, dating back 3,000 B.C. Here, archeologists discovered pottery wheels and revealed the specimens of earthenware pottery of that erstwhile era.

The ceramic material is molded into desired shapes and is baked under fire, in a kiln. Kiln is a thermal insulating chamber, which is used to harden and dry the mud products. These hardened clay products, are then applied with glaze and baked, once again. The final product is very glossy and beautiful, with a very smooth surface.

There are various forms of ceramic material used. They are stoneware, earthenware, bone china, and porcelain. The ceramic material can further be classified as per their usage----crystalline and non-crystalline. The crystalline form of usage is in the form of powder of ceramic material, and the non-crystalline is about shaping the ceramic material in its molten form.

Ceramics now-a-days, is used in various ways. The various usage of ceramic is diversified within domestic, constructional, artifacts, and the recent is ceramic engineering. The ceramic products that are generally used for domestic purpose are pottery, sanitary ware, tableware, wall tiles and mugs.

The other usage of ceramic is in industrial and architectural products such as roof tiles, bricks, pipes, and floorings. The recent ceramic usage is done in several applications such as mechanical, electrical, and chemical. Ceramic material is even used in several technologies such as in aerospace, cellular phones, computers etc.