Sanitaryware
Imerys addresses the ceramics market’s challenges
The sanitaryware market is driven by high expectations in terms of quality, design, and durability, alongside significant industrial constraints. Manufacturers must produce increasingly complex shapes while guaranteeing consistent whiteness, excellent surface quality and reliable mechanical performance within highly optimized production environments.
At the same time, manufacturers are faced with increasingly fierce competition, tighter cost structures and rising energy costs. The expanding adoption of automated processes, such as high-pressure casting (HPC), is also increasing demand for raw materials that deliver high consistency, process stability and defect control. Additionally, sustainability goals are becoming more central, pushing manufacturers to improve energy efficiency, reduce CO₂ emissions and limit waste, making material reliability and process optimization key drivers of long-term competitiveness.
As a long-standing partner of the ceramics industry, we are able to support you in addressing these challenges, leveraging our mineral and formulation expertise to help you ensure the stability and efficiency of your processes, the consistent quality of your production, while supporting your sustainability objectives.
Our integrated offer for sanitaryware manufacturers
A comprehensive offer adapted to all sanitaryware types
Imerys supports sanitaryware manufacturers with a comprehensive and integrated offer combining mineral expertise and application know-how. Our solutions are designed to meet the specific requirements of all sanitaryware types, including Vitreous China (VC), Fine Fire Clay (FFC) and Super Fine Fire Clay (SFFC), and are adapted to a wide range of production technologies, from traditional casting to automated and high-pressure casting (HPC) processes.
A wide portfolio of industrial minerals
Our offer is built around a broad mineral range, including kaolin, ball clay, feldspar, chamotte, wollastonite and talc*, carefully selected to optimize key body properties such as plasticity, rheology control, dimensional stability, mechanical strength, firing behaviour and final whiteness. This mineral portfolio enables manufacturers to design reliable and consistent ceramic formulations adapted to their industrial constraints.
In addition, we provide ready-to-use and ready-to-mill glaze solutions, developed to deliver consistent surface quality, high whiteness, durability and chemical resistance, while meeting the stringent aesthetic and hygiene expectations of sanitaryware applications.
Imerys minerals for sanitaryware bodies and glazes
We provide a comprehensive range of mineral solutions for sanitaryware bodies and glazes. Depending on their mineralogical properties, these solutions are used in ceramic bodies, glazes — or both — to optimize shaping behavior, firing performance, surface quality and long-term durability. We also supply a range of kiln furniture solutions for sanitaryware.
- Ball clays (Bodies)
Imerys ball clays enhance plasticity, cohesion and rheological control, ensuring good workability, green strength and stable casting behavior.
- Kaolins (Bodies & glazes)
Our kaolins improve casting rate and fluidity while delivering high whiteness, good dry strength and low residue solutions for white sanitaryware.
- Chamottes (Bodies)
Our chamottes reduce shrinkage and deformation during drying and firing, particularly for large or complex sanitaryware pieces produced in fine fire clay.
- Feldspar & pegmatite (Bodies & glazes)
Imerys feldspar and pegmatites are essential fluxing agents promoting vitrification and firing stability while maintaining low colored oxide content for high whiteness.
- Talc (Bodies & glazes)
Imerys talcs improve vitrification behavior, support lower firing temperatures, shorten firing cycles and enhance glaze–body fit, while contributing to surface quality and whiteness.
- Wollastonite (Bodies & glazes)
Imerys wollastonites are reinforcing and fluxing agents for improving mechanical strength, dimensional stability and surface finish in both bodies and glazes.
- Sanitaryware kiln furniture
We also offer a comprehensive set of high-performance cordierite and silicon carbide kiln furniture solutions for the sanitaryware industry, including our flagship ShrinksanTM reusable solution for improved performance and reduced waste.
*Talc products are not available in the USA and Canada. Contact us for an alternative range.
Solid applications expertise to support you worldwide
Our ceramics teams worldwide are also continuously innovating to develop solutions that better meet your needs, including your sustainability challenges.
Combining in-depth mineral expertise with a thorough understanding of your processes and production environments, they translate mineral performance into reproducible industrial results — be it improving process stability, reducing defect and scrap rates, or boosting your overall manufacturing efficiency and output.
With state-of-the art R&D laboratories in Europe, Egypt, USA, Thailand and India, we are able to provide advanced analytical support and technical services, wherever you are located. And with a presence across five continents, we ensure reliable logistics and fast, worldwide delivery — so you always receive your materials exactly when and where you need them, aligned with your long-term performance and sustainability goals.
