Powders of ceramic compound or mixture of several compounds are mixed (milled), pressed and heated, but melting temperature is not exceeded. Only partial melting may occur (in case of mixture of several compounds).

During sintering the powder particles fuse together thereby lowering the melting point and increasing the uniformity of material.

During sintering the powder particles fuse together increasing materials density and properties

Technical ceramics density is usually lower

Steel hardness is significantly lower

Steel toughness is lower

Steel tensile strength is higher

Technical ceramics are more easily machinable

Ceramic crystal structure comprises of ionic and covalent bonds

ceramic contains pores

Ceramic structures always contain defects (dislocations and vacancies)

ceramics contains glass phase

high thermal stability

high hardness and wear resistance

low bending and tensile strength

corrosion and fire resistance

low density compared to metals, which also results in a high specific strength in compression

Vickers method with hardmetal ball

Rockwell method and diamond cone

Ball indentation hardness

Brinell's method and a steel ball

Vickers method and diamond pyramid

non-oxide ceramics

mixed ceramics

oxide ceramics

carbide ceramics

hot-pressing

casting into high-temperature molds

reactive sintering

high-temperature self-propagating synthesis