Clay

What is clay?

Clay represents a sediment made of clayish minerals characterized by physical and chemical properties that add plasticity if mixed with water and refractoriness if dehydrated. These properties led and still lead many companies to succeed in the ceramic and building industry, as happened at C.B.C.

Clay for ceramic uses

Depending on the composition, the clay can be destined for different final applications.
The most common use is in ceramics, which takes advantage of clay’s principal property: plasticity.

Plasticity is essential during the shaping process which consists in reducing the substance to the desired shape before irreversibly consolidating it during the following processes that are grinding, pressing/wire drawing, drying and firing.

The greater the ability of the clay to absorb and retain water, the greater its plasticity so its ability to be transformed into a doughy mass that can be molded at room temperature without breaking or cracking.

Italian production, historically tied to ceramics and refractory materials, has been gradually declining because of increased competition from raw materials from outside the country (mainly Ukraine and Turkey).

TYPES

C.B.C. buys and sells the following types of clays

European Clays

C.B.C. buys clays coming from EU countries. Then, the clays are milled and sold to clients with various particles sizes for the following applications:

• Clay for ceramic bodies
  Clay is the main ingredient used in the production of ceramic bodies and porcelain tiles suitable for presses and wire drawing machines. It is mixed with other suitably dosed substances until a homogeneous compound is reached.
• Clay for engobe and glaze
  Clay is used in engobes and glazes, compounds that represent a thin coating for ceramic tiles.
• Clay for bricks and majolica
  Clay is also used as a hydraulic binder for the production of bricks and majolica.
• Clay for thermal muds

Clay is used for mud therapy and is called peloid and sold to spas for dermatological treatments thanks to its absorbent, remineralizing and antiendemigenic properties. In particular, Clay F represents the main example of clay sold by C.B.C. to spas. Read the certificate of mineralogical and geotechnical analysis of this product.

Extra-European Clays

C.B.C. purchases clays from India and Venezuela for resale. Their main characteristics include:

• very light colour
• very high plasticity
• Fe₂O₃ content below 1%
• Al₂O₃ content between 21% and 25%

These properties are crucial for the formulation of white porcelain stoneware bodies and ceramic slabs.

The supply of Ukrainian clays sold by C.B.C. is managed through shipments of 25,000–30,000 tons, which are stored in Ravenna, mainly in covered warehouses. This approach ensures the delivery of clays with controlled moisture content throughout the entire year.