Porcelain vs ceramic tiles: what actually matters

Walk into most tile stores and you will hear that porcelain is the premium option and ceramic is the budget one. It is not that simple. Both are fired clay; the difference is how dense the tile is and how much water it absorbs, and that decides where each one belongs.

The real difference: water absorption

Porcelain is made from finer clay and fired hotter, so it ends up very dense. Under the international tile standard (ISO 13006, adopted in Australia), a tile counts as porcelain when it absorbs 0.5% of its weight in water or less. Ceramic wall tiles absorb much more, often over 10%.

Low absorption means porcelain resists frost, staining and wear. That is why it is the right choice for floors, outdoor areas and commercial spaces.

Where ceramic is the better choice

For most internal walls, ceramic does the job beautifully. It is lighter, which matters on tall walls, it is easier to cut around niches and power points, and glazed ceramic offers colours and gloss levels that porcelain often cannot match. A ceramic splashback or feature wall is not a compromise.

Specs worth checking instead

• Slip rating (P rating) for any floor tile. See our slip ratings guide.
• Rectified edges if you want narrow grout joints.
• Through-body or glazed: through-body porcelain has the colour all the way through, so chips show less in commercial areas.
• Batch and shade: order enough from one batch so the colour matches.

The short version

Floors, outdoors and heavy traffic: porcelain. Walls and feature areas: ceramic or porcelain, whichever gives you the look. If someone tells you one is always better, ask them where it is going.