Soft-paste porcelain is produced by mixing white clay with 'frit' - a glassy substance that was a mixture of white sand, gypsum, soda, salt, alum and nitre.

Lime and chalk were used to fuse the white clay and the frit, the mixture is then fired at a lower temperature than hard-paste porcelain..

There are three types of porcelain:

Hard-paste      Soft-paste      Bone china

• This type of porcelain often has a grey appearance and is extremely hard, it is fired at a much higher temperature than soft-paste porcelain. The ingredients melt and fuse into a dense strong body . It will allow bright light to pass through it. Colours lie on top of the glaze. 

• Hard-paste porcelain recipe: 50% china clay, 30% china stone, 20% flint. Firing: Biscuit temperature 900 C - 1000 C. Glost firing 1350 C - 1400 C.

• Porcelaneous ware was first made in China, hence its common name china. Chinese porcelain is less vitrified (and therefore softer) than its modern European counterpart, which was developed in Germany in the early 18th century.