Ceramic tiles are a mixture of clays and other natural materials, such as sand, quartz and water. They are primarily used in houses, restaurants, offices, shops, and so on, as bathroom wall and kitchen floor surfaces. They are easy to fit, easy to clean, easy to maintain and are available at reasonable prices.
Ceramics show good strength and can withstand high temperatures and acidic materials, but are brittle, and weak in tension and shearing. Applications include floor tiles, pipes, bricks, cookware, tableware, sanitary ware, pottery products, gas and fire radiants, kiln linings, glass and steel crucibles, knife blades, disc brakes in vehicles, watch cases, and biomedical implants.
The global demand for ceramic tiles was valued at around USD 72.0 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach around 120.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of slightly above 9.0%. In terms of volume, the global ceramic tiles market stood at 13.0 billion square meters in 2014.