The growing interest in the use of clay minerals for the production of whiteware in Rio Grande do Norte demands the technological characterization of local raw materials. The present study reports some properties of five different clay minerals found in the region, such as tone upon firing at 950 ºC, 1250 ºC and 1450 ºC, linear shrinkage and flexural strength. Firing regional clays resulted in a variety of ranging from white to cream. The overall properties of the resulting products exceeded literature values, showing the technological potential of the regional clays investigated herein.
whiteware; characterization; calcination
