Thermal Expansion

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Thermal Expansion

Advanced ceramics have generally low coefficients of thermal expansion which is the measure of how much a material expands due to a rise in temperature.

When heat is applied to most materials they expand due to their atomic structure, ceramics due to their atomic composition are able to stay stable across a wider range of temperatures. Advanced ceramics have half the coefficients of thermal expansion when compared to metals like stainless steel, and this low thermal expansion can be used to advantage on designing assemblies where ceramics can be kept in compression to enhance its mechanical strength.

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Thermal Expansion

Materials Ranked by Thermal Expansion

In terms of thermal expansion, Zirconia and Alumina rank on the higher end and Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbide are on the lower end. With a range of materials and grades in our portfolio with varying characteristics, materials like Shapal Hi M soft with its close expansion match to silicon works well in semiconductor applications.
Zirconia CeramaZirc 3YZ Material Brand

Zirconia (ZrO2) - CeramaZirc™

10.5 [10-6/K]
Unlike traditional ceramics that tend to be hard and brittle, Zirconia offers high strength, wear resistance, and flexibility far beyond those of most other advanced ceramics.
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Zirconia CeramaZirc Ultra Tough Material Brand

Zirconia (ZrO2) - CeramaZirc™ Ultra Tough

10 [10-6/K]
CeramaZirc Ultra Tough is an advanced zirconia-based ceramic composite material based on partially stabilized zirconia and alumina platelets.
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Macor Parts

Macor® – Machinable Glass Ceramic

9.3 [10-6/K]
Macor is a hybrid glass-ceramic with the versatility of a high performance polymer, the machinability of a metal, and the performance of an advanced advanced ceramic.
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Alumina Material Brand CeramAlox

Alumina (Al2O3) – CeramAlox™

6.5 [10-6/K]
Alumina, also known as Aluminum Oxide, is a hard wearing advanced advanced ceramic material frequently used in a wide variety of industrial applications.
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Alumina Material Brand CeramAlox Ultra Pure

Alumina (Al2O3) – CeramAlox™ Ultra Pure

7.5 [10-6/K]
CeramaAlox Ultra Pure is a very high purity (99.95%) grade of Alumina (Aluminum Oxide) exhibiting an exceptional combination of mechanical and electrical properties.
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Ceramic Material Comparison Chart

Created with Highcharts 4.2.0[MPa]Compressive StrengthSilicon CarbideSilicon NitrideAluminum NitrideBoron NitrideAlumina 99.5%ZirconiaMacorShapalCeramAlloy Ultra HardCeramAlox Ultra PureCeramaZirc Ultra Tough0500100015002000250030003500CeramaZirc Ultra Tough● Compressive Strength: 2000 [MPa]Highcharts.com

Related Properties

Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity measures how easily heat is transmitted through a material. There is a growing specialist market for advanced ceramics use in applications with high thermal conductivity requirements.

Maximum Temperature

Advanced ceramics are well known for their heat withstanding properties in which they only start to melt at temperatures around 2000℃. In comparison to more common ceramic materials such as tile or brick, they start to melt at temperatures around 650℃.