Custom Porcelain & Bone China Decals

Porcelain and bone china decals are high-fire ceramic transfers designed for premium tableware bodies, fired at 1,200-1,400°C so the decoration bonds with the body and glaze as one piece. These bodies vitrify at high temperature, so their decoration must survive the same range - which is exactly what high-fire decals are formulated to do.

Why Premium Bodies Need High-Fire Decals

Porcelain and bone china are fired hotter than standard ceramic ware. A decoration that cannot survive 1,200°C+ will fade, blur or burn out entirely in the kiln. High-fire decal pigments are formulated from ceramic stains that remain stable at these temperatures, so the design emerges from firing with the same sharpness it had on the sheet.

The translucency of bone china also makes decoration quality visible: any imperfection in register, edge or colour reads immediately through the fine body. High-fire decals on premium bodies are therefore specified with tighter registration tolerances than standard ware.

Underglaze and Inglaze Options

Underglaze (1,250-1,400°C)

Applied to the bisque body before glazing. The most durable option - the glaze layer protects the decoration permanently. Standard for commercial hotelware and dinnerware.

Inglaze (1,200-1,300°C)

Applied onto the unfired glaze and fired together in one cycle. The decoration sinks slightly into the glaze, combining strong durability with a slightly broader colour palette than underglaze.

Colour Range on Premium Bodies

High-fire pigments cover blues, greens, browns, blacks and muted earth tones. Bright reds and some yellows are not achievable above 1,200°C. We confirm which of your colours survive your firing temperature before sampling, and match to Pantone references within the achievable range.

Food Safety

High-fire decoration on porcelain and bone china is the safest specification for food contact - in underglaze application the food never touches the pigment layer at all. We supply systems compliant with FDA ceramic ware requirements, EU 84/500/EEC, ISO 6486 and LFGB.

How to Order

1. Send artwork, body type (porcelain / bone china / stoneware), firing temperature and quantity.
2. We confirm achievable colours and quote.
3. You fire and approve a sample sheet on your own body.
4. Production, protective packing and worldwide shipping.

Send your project to sales@decalsspecialist.com for a quote, or see our underglaze decals and overglaze dinnerware decals.