What is ceramic?

Ceramics denotes the manufacture of any product that is made from a nonmetallic mineral by firing at high temperatures. Industrial ceramics can thus be said to comprise all industrially used solid materials that are neither metallic nor organic. Ceramics include brick, cement, glass, and porcelain. They also include some unusual materials used in electronics and spacecraft. Most ceramics are hard and can withstand heat and chemicals. These properties give them a wide variety of uses in industry.
Most ceramic products, like their mineral ingredients, can withstand acids, gases, salts, water, and high temperatures. But not all ceramic products have the same properties. Common ceramics are good insulators--that is, they conduct electricity poorly. However, certain ceramics lose their electrical resistance and become superconductors when they are cooled. Some ceramic materials are magnetic. Engineers control the properties of ceramics by controlling the proportion and type of materials used.