Porcelain vs ceramic tiles
Porcelain is a dense type of ceramic. The name on a sale ticket does not, by itself, tell you where the tile can be fitted.
Ceramic is the broad family. Porcelain is a ceramic body fired so that it is denser and takes up less water. Shops still label the two separately, and this catalogue does the same: a deal is filed as porcelain or ceramic from the product name and the retailer’s own material, not from a laboratory test.
That density is why porcelain is often chosen for floors and for outside, but only when the retailer rates that product for the use. A porcelain wall tile is not a patio slab. A ceramic floor tile can be the right floor tile when the shop says it is for floors. The sale page on Tile Deal Hub does not add a slip rating, a frost rating or a water-absorption number that the listing never stated.
Where each one usually turns up
Glazed ceramic is common on bathroom and kitchen walls, including metro tiles and many coloured ranges. Porcelain is common as larger floor tiles, stone-effect tiles and outdoor paving. Both also appear the other way round. A mosaic can be either. Natural stone, such as slate or limestone, is a different material and is not porcelain or ceramic.
Thickness is a clue only when it is printed. Indoor floor tiles are often thinner than outdoor porcelain slabs. A product whose name says outdoor, paving, patio or exterior is listed on outdoor tile deals. Other porcelain stays on the floor and porcelain pages.
Price is not the difference
Porcelain is not always dearer than ceramic, and ceramic is not always the budget choice. Clearance can reverse the usual order. For the sale prices currently in the catalogue, use tile prices per m². Browse the live rows on porcelain tile deals and ceramic tile deals.
Cutting differs in practice: a dense porcelain often needs a continuous-rim blade and a slower cut, while many glazed ceramics score and snap. That is a fitting point, not a reason to ignore the use printed on the product. Grout, adhesive and tanking are chosen for the room and the substrate. They are sold separately from the tile.
If you are pricing a floor, start with cheap floor tiles and check the unit. If you are pricing walls, start with cheap wall tiles. A tile marked for both wall and floor can appear on either list.