One of the most prevalent industrial uses of kaolin is in manufacturing ceramics, porcelain ware and floor or wall tiles. Because of its ideal properties for ceramic manufacturing, some people call kaolin clay china clay for its role in producing whiteware. Kaolin clay has a high fusion temperature, and its naturally bright white color makes it useful for manufacturing pure white ceramics, porcelain, china, sanitary ware and kaolin pottery.

Because kaolin contains low concentrations of iron or alkalis, it is ideal for use in various forms of ceramics. When producing ceramics and whiteware, manufacturers usually combine kaolin with additional silica and feldspar, along with a small amount of another type of clay called ball clay, which is a plastic light-burning clay. The combination of kaolin and other ingredients allows ceramic manufacturers to achieve the ideal plasticity, shrinkage, vitrification and other processes to properly shape and heat the ware. Kaolin offers high dry strength, meaning that as an additive, it helps reinforce and strengthen the final product, which is crucial in manufacturing ceramic ware.