In the west identified as ceramic wares having a vitrified body fired at temperatures between 1100 and 1200 centigrades, having an absorbency of 1 to 2%, a porosity of 2 to 5%. The body may be light or dark in color. Stoneware is harder and stronger than earthenware. The material sinters and fuses during firing to form an impermeable body. In China stoneware is fired at temperatures between 1200 and 1300 centigrades. Unlike (the western definition of) porcelain, stoneware appears in a variety of colors and is not translucent. The body and glaze of most Chinese stonewares are fired at the same time and form an integrated body/glaze layer that increases their strength. Chinese scholars rarely differentiate between stoneware and porcelain, using the same term ci (=high-fired ceramic) for both, making its sound when struck the key feature to define ci.
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