The difference is in the body, and it decides where each tile can go.
The short answer
Porcelain has low water absorption and a dense body; ceramic has a softer, more absorbent body and takes reactive and metallic glazes beautifully. Shower walls, splashbacks and commercial kitchens: porcelain. Feature walls, period schemes and colour-led interiors: ceramic.
Water absorption
Porcelain bodies are fired dense enough that a splashback or shower wall does not need the tile sealed. Ceramic wall tiles generally do not need sealing either when glazed, but the body is more vulnerable at cuts and around fixings. The grout and the substrate waterproofing are separate questions in both cases.
Glaze range
A porcelain body is usually paired with matte stone-look surfaces, because that is what the market buys it for. Reactive, pearl and metallic glazes sit more naturally on a ceramic body, where the glaze layer does most of the work.
Cost and weight
Porcelain is denser, so a pallet weighs more and a container carries less area. That matters at wholesale volume: the cheaper tile per square metre can be the more expensive one landed.
What to put in the RFQ
- Body: porcelain or ceramic, and why
- Format and thickness
- Surface: matte, glossy, reactive, metallic
- Room and exposure: splashback, shower, corridor
- Quantity, destination port and packing requirement
Performance figures depend on the specific product and its test report. Confirm per series.