Strength band
high compressive; tensile limited by flaws (Weibull)
Numbers below are bands used by working engineers, not live quotes. Tensile note: high compressive; tensile limited by flaws (Weibull).
Fire performance in this atlas is editorial. Real projects need the assembly report.
Mechanical
Stiffness
Modulus follows chemistry and orientation — not the marketing nickname.
Toughness
Crack growth, not peak stress, retires most real parts.
Fatigue / creep
Cyclic and time-dependent damage dominate certificates issued on static coupons.
Hardness / hand
Indentation, drape or compressive class — whichever the trade actually measures.
Thermal
Conductivity
Al2O3 ~20–30; AlN higher; ZrO2 low — Technical ceramics is not a substitute for a dedicated λ layer.
Service temperature
Melting / softening / decomposition band: often >2000 °C.
Expansion
Joints and clearances must follow the expansion class of Technical ceramics, not of steel-by-habit.
Thermal mass
Density 3.2–6 g/cm³ class sets how fast a section changes temperature.
Ageing of λ
Foams, VIPs and moist batts drift; quote aged values.
Electrical
Conductor or dielectric
Technical ceramics is generally a dielectric or semiconductor film, not building wire.
Static / EMI
Fillers and moisture change resistivity more than brochures admit.
Standards language
IACS, volume resistivity or dielectric strength — pick the quantity the job uses.
Fire
Reaction to fire
Typical declared class: A1. This is not a universal passport.
Resistance vs reaction
Euroclass is reaction. EI/R ratings are assemblies — boards, coats, cavities.
Melt-drip / char
Technical ceramics tends to char or stay inorganic rather than melt-drip like commodity olefins.
Smoke / toxicity
CO, HCN, HF or fibres — the species depend on chemistry. Name the test (ISO 5659, EN 45545, NFPA 1971).
If a salesperson quotes a single “safety score”, ask which standard, which thickness, which year.
Keep exploring
More in Ceramics & wood
🪟
Glass
Frozen silicate liquid — windows, bottles, fibres and a Euroclass A1 skin that still shatters and melts in fire.
Overall 58 🏗️Concrete
The hydraulic ceramic of cities — cement, water, rock and usually steel, with a fire story better than exposed steel.
Overall 57 🌲Wood
Anisotropic cellulose composite grown as trees — carpentry, mass timber and a combustible story that codes still manage.
Overall 57