A typical recipe for bone china clay is:
China Clay 37.5%
Bone Ash 37.5%
Feldspar 20%
quartz 5%
The 'bone' in bone china indicates that the china clay has been mixed with bone ash.
Bone china is made out of clay, not bones. Actually, bone china is made out of clay AND bone ash, which is the white ash produced from the burning of bones in open air. I would assume any type of bone could be used.
Bone china is made by adding bone ash to a mixture of clay, feldspar, and quartz. The bone ash, which is derived from animal bones, contributes to the whiteness, translucency, and strength of the final product. This unique combination gives bone china its characteristic properties, making it a popular choice for fine tableware.
Kaolin is the main type of clay in porcelain. Bone china is a porcelain body that has an inclusion of bone ash, calcined animal bone (calcium phosphate), which adds hardness and translucency.
Bone china dishes qualify. They are made from china clay and bone ash.
Kaolin
Kaolin
white clay or Kaolin (which is a clay mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4). Other materials mixed with China clay to make porcelain clay have included feldspar, ball-clay, glass, bone ash, steatite, quartz, petuntse and alabaster.
Bone China housewares are made up of 3 main ingredients. They housewares are made up of fifty percent bone ash, twenty-five percent stone, and twenty-five percent clay. The stone and clay amounts can differ depending on where it was made.
Bone china is made of 50% bone ash, & 25% each of china clay and china stone. It is combined with water to make a slurry, which is then fashioned into cups, saucers, plates and so on. The pieces must be fired in a kiln at high degrees of heat (1100c to 1250c) for the china to become hard and strong. It is the bone (usually animal bone, cleaned of all meat and glue) that gives the china its transparent whiteness. The ingredients of bone china are china clay, china stone, silica, alumina, alkalies, lime and bone ash. It is fired at high of 2,300 to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. In the best grades of English bone china, 50% or more of the body consists of refined bone ash prepared from specially selected animal bones which are reduced to a fine powder by heat. The bone is mixed with the finest china clays and highest quality Cornish stone. Specially skilled workers are needed in the manufacture of bone china and the best and most highly skilled in the world are found in the pottery district of England.
50%Bone ash 25% each of china clay and china stone.
Bone china was named for its unique composition, which includes bone ash, typically derived from animal bones, mixed with kaolin clay and feldspar. This ingredient gives bone china its characteristic translucency, strength, and whiteness. The term "china" reflects its origins in porcelain-making, which began in China, and the combination of these materials resulted in a high-quality ceramic that became popular in Europe and beyond.