Ceramic frits are pre-melted glasses that form the base of ceramic glazes. Esmaltec makes frits to order for floor tiles, wall tiles and porcelain tiles, with technical support inside the customer’s process.
A frit is obtained by melting mineral raw materials at high temperature and then cooling them quickly. The molten material turns into small glassy fragments, which are later used in glazes and engobes. This process makes insoluble the components that would otherwise dissolve in water, and gives a stable, uniform base for firing.
In the floor and wall tile industry, it is the frit that defines glaze properties such as gloss, opacity, hardness, wear resistance and how the tile behaves in the kiln.
Each application needs a frit with its own behavior. The most common are transparent frits, which add gloss and depth, opaque and white frits, which hide the color of the body, matt frits, for satin-finish surfaces, and frits for special effects. The choice depends on the firing cycle and temperature, the type of body and the finish required.
Esmaltec develops ceramic frits around what each customer needs. Our technical team studies the production process, tests the formulation in the laboratory and follows the application on the line, to make sure the final tile comes out as expected.
Production takes place in our own plant in Rio Claro, São Paulo, in Brazil’s largest ceramic cluster, a region that accounts for about 60% of Brazilian floor and wall tile production. Since 1993, the company has supplied customers across Brazil, Latin America and other continents.
The frit is one of the raw materials of the glaze. The glaze is the mixture of frits with other components, such as kaolin, feldspar and additives, prepared to be applied to the tile.
Yes. Frits are formulated and adjusted to each customer’s body, firing cycle and finish, with technical support.
Yes. The company supplies all of Latin America and countries on other continents.
Need a tailor-made raw material? Our technical team develops the formulation together with your process.
Talk to our technical team