Tiles & large surfaces

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Advanced mineral solutions for the large slab market

In recent years, large format ceramic tiles or “slabs” have continued to gain ground in high-end architecture and interior design. Today, they are being widely used for premium and innovative architectural applications such as high-end aesthetic countertops, wall cladding, furniture and seamless ventilated façades used for upmarket buildings and houses. These continuous surfaces must demonstrate exceptional consistency, strength and aesthetics, placing high demands on the raw materials they rely on. 

Leveraging our decades of specialist expertise in ceramics end markets and minerals — and working with some of the world’s most prominent tile producers — Imerys is a benchmark supplier of high-quality raw mineral solutions tailored to the specific requirements of the high-end large surface tile and slab market. 

Superior quality minerals for porcelain and monoporosa tiles

We provide a wide range of consistently high-quality blended minerals tailored specifically to meet the needs of manufacturers of super white, glazed and unglazed porcelain and monoporosa tiles and slabs.

A wide portfolio of industrial minerals 

Our extensive portfolio includes a wide range of superior, consistent quality:

• Ball clays - providing plasticity and bonding properties
• Kaolins - for high fusion temperature and white firing characteristics
• Wollastonites - cost-effective, low loss of ignition (LOI) natural fluxing agents
• Feldspars - vitrifying and fluxing agents
• Talcs* - for improving the vitrification process

Consistent, top-tier raw materials and exacting processes

Our raw materials are sourced from our global network of mineral deposits, and processed using state-of-the-art technologies to ensure the highest standards of quality and performance. 

This allows us to guarantee the consistency and reproducibility of our mineral products, ensuring they deliver key benefits every time. 

• For tile and slab bodies, this means a reduction of pinholes, black specks, and impurities, alongside optimized plasticity and specific rheology.
• For glazes and engobes, this translates into superior whiteness, gloss and smoothness.

High-whiteness minerals for premium aesthetics

Our portfolio of high whiteness grades are ideal for achieving unparalleled color consistency and exceptional brightness, enabling you to meet the most stringent aesthetic specifications, and guaranteeing a premium, uniform appearance across all of your production batches.

Glaze solutions for colormakers 

Our premium, high-purity raw materials for glazes are essential for achieving bright colors and ultra-low defect levels in surface quality. They are designed to suit all types of finish — glossy, semi-matt, matt or opaque — and available through our worldwide network, ensuring consistent supply to your production plants wherever you are located.

Logistics and blending platforms across all regions

We operate a worldwide network of dedicated ceramics laboratories, blending and logistics platforms to meet our local customers’ specific needs in terms of raw materials and technical support.

In EMEA

Our state-of-the-art laboratory facility in Egypt offers porcelain body and engobe analysis, materials testing and new product validation — helping our customers in the Middle East and Africa region improve the quality of their products and production efficiency.

Our logistics platforms in Castellón (Spain) Wilaya de Béjaïa (Algeria) and Ravenna (Italy) enable us to stock high-demand raw materials closer to ceramics clusters, improving responsiveness and service reliability, and reducing the environmental footprint of the supply chain.

In the Americas

In the United States, Mexico and South America, we supply minerals for ceramic tile production across the Americas, supporting consistent quality and reliable local sourcing.

Our portfolio includes kaolin, ball clay, feldspar, wollastonite and functional minerals for the tile bodies and glazes, enabling optimized processing, improved surface quality and controlled shrinkage solutions.

Our Science and Technology Center in Johns Creek, GA, USA provides ceramic tile formulation support, testing and application expertise to optimize body and glaze performance. 
 

In Asia Pacific

Our processing and blending platforms in Thailand, New Zealand and India tailor our local mineral offer to meet the specific technical challenges of our customers in the region. 

Solid applications expertise to support you wherever you are

Our ceramics experts are by your side wherever you operate. 

From process optimization to defect reduction and efficiency gains, we can support you with in-depth product and processing know-how. And with a global footprint, we can supply the right materials and solutions — backed by local support — to help you achieve both your performance and sustainability targets.

Talk to our ceramic experts to find out more about how we can help.

*Talc products are not available in the USA and Canada. Contact us for an alternative range.