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Posted by Admin on July, 20, 2026
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What Causes Glaze Peeling (Shivering) in Ceramics — and How Is It Fixed Through Feldspar?
The 5 fixes for glaze peeling through feldspar selection:
- Increase glaze-side feldspar flux content — raising the glaze's own expansion coefficient closer to the body's reduces the compression mismatch.
- Reduce body quartz content if excessive — since a body with too much free quartz can develop artificially high expansion, pushing the glaze into compression by comparison.
- Switch feldspar type if needed — soda feldspar's chemistry produces a different glass network expansion than potash feldspar; the wrong type for a given body/glaze pairing can trigger shivering.
- Verify chip edges and stress points — shivering concentrates at sharp edges and corners where the body underneath provides less support against compression.
- Confirm consistent feldspar chemistry lot to lot — a formulation that was correctly balanced can drift into shivering if a new feldspar lot shifts the flux ratio.
Source: Aalok Overseas Technical Laboratory, Rajasthan, India · Manufacturer & Exporter of Feldspar to 50+ Countries Since 1992 · www.feldsparindia.com
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AALOK OVERSEAS INDIA · CERAMIC DEFECT GUIDE #05
Shivering · Glaze-Body Expansion Mismatch · Feldspar Flux Selection · NABL COA · Exporter Since 1992
REQUEST FELDSPAR SAMPLE → VIEW SPECIFICATIONSGlaze Peeling (Shivering) — the Mirror Image of Crazing
Glaze peeling, technically called shivering, occurs when a fired glaze's thermal expansion coefficient is too low relative to the body beneath it. As the piece cools, the body contracts more than the glaze, putting the glaze under compression instead of tension. Enough compression and the glaze physically separates and flakes off — usually starting at edges, corners, or any sharp point where the body provides less resistance. Shivering is less common than crazing but more dangerous in functional ware, since sharp glaze flakes can be a genuine safety hazard on tableware.
Shivering vs. Crazing — Opposite Mechanisms
| DEFECT | GLAZE EXPANSION VS. BODY | RESULT |
|---|---|---|
| Crazing | Glaze expansion too high | Glaze under tension — fine crack network |
| Shivering (Peeling) | Glaze expansion too low | Glaze under compression — flaking/popping off |
6 Causes of Glaze Peeling Traceable to Feldspar
CAUSE 01
Insufficient Feldspar Flux in the Glaze
A glaze with too little feldspar flux relative to its silica content can end up with an artificially low expansion coefficient, putting it into compression against a normally-expanding body.
CAUSE 02
Excess Quartz Raising Body Expansion Too High
While quartz helps prevent crazing by raising body expansion, too much quartz can push body expansion higher than the glaze can match, flipping the defect from crazing risk to shivering risk.
CAUSE 03
Wrong Feldspar Type for the Glaze Chemistry
Potash feldspar's higher-viscosity glass network can produce lower expansion than a recipe calibrated around soda feldspar, or vice versa — switching feldspar type without reformulating can trigger shivering.
CAUSE 04
Feldspar Batch Chemistry Drift
A previously balanced recipe can drift into shivering if a new feldspar lot has meaningfully different K₂O/Na₂O content than the batch the recipe was originally tuned around.
CAUSE 05
Glaze Layer Too Thin
A thin glaze layer has less material to resist compression stress, meaning marginal expansion mismatches that wouldn't show as peeling with a thicker glaze application can become visible with a thinner one.
CAUSE 06
Sharp Edges and Corners Lacking Support
Shivering concentrates at sharp edges because the body geometry there offers less resistance to compression — a design factor that interacts with, but doesn't replace, correct raw material balance.
Glaze Peeling Diagnostic — Symptom → Cause → Fix
| SYMPTOM | LIKELY CAUSE | FIX |
|---|---|---|
| Glaze flaking off starting at edges/corners | Glaze expansion too low relative to body — classic shivering | Increase glaze feldspar flux content; reduce excess body quartz |
| Peeling appears after switching feldspar type | Glass network expansion mismatch from potash/soda switch | Reformulate glaze flux ratio for new feldspar type |
| Peeling on thin-glazed pieces only | Thin glaze layer amplifying marginal expansion mismatch | Adjust glaze application thickness or reformulate for better fit |
| Intermittent peeling with no formula change | Feldspar batch chemistry drift | Demand NABL COA per shipment; verify K₂O/Na₂O consistency |
The Aalok Overseas Solution — Consistent Feldspar Chemistry for Reliable Glaze Fit
Both Potash & Soda Feldspar, Consistently Graded
Aalok Overseas supplies both feldspar types with verified K₂O/Na₂O content, letting formulators correct glaze fit issues without guessing at chemistry.
NABL COA on Every Shipment
Full XRF chemistry verified per lot — so a glaze/body fit calibrated for one shipment stays correctly balanced for the next.
Consistent Mesh Grading
200/325 mesh grading held stable, supporting predictable melt behaviour that underpins consistent expansion characteristics.
Technical Support for Glaze Fit Correction
Aalok Overseas' technical team can help diagnose whether a peeling issue traces to glaze-side or body-side feldspar imbalance.
Why Manufacturers Choose Aalok Overseas
Since 1992, Aalok Overseas has supplied mine-direct, NABL-certified potash and soda feldspar to ceramic manufacturers across 50+ countries. A glaze/body fit that was correctly balanced deserves feldspar consistent enough to keep it that way, shipment after shipment.
FAQ — Glaze Peeling in Ceramics
Q
What is glaze peeling or shivering in ceramics?
Glaze peeling (shivering) is a defect where the glaze flakes off the body, caused by the glaze's thermal expansion being too low relative to the body, putting the glaze under compression rather than tension.
Q
How is glaze peeling different from crazing?
Crazing happens when glaze expansion is too high, putting the glaze under tension and causing fine cracks. Shivering happens when glaze expansion is too low, putting the glaze under compression and causing it to flake off — the mechanical opposite defect.
Q
Can feldspar selection fix glaze peeling?
Yes. Since feldspar is the dominant flux controlling both body and glaze expansion behaviour, adjusting the glaze-side feldspar flux content or switching feldspar type can correct the expansion mismatch causing shivering.
Q
Why does glaze peeling often start at edges and corners?
Sharp edges and corners have less body material providing support against compression stress, so a marginal expansion mismatch that wouldn't show as a problem on a flat surface can cause visible peeling at these stress-concentrated points.
Q
Is glaze peeling a safety concern?
Yes, particularly on functional tableware, since sharp glaze flakes separating from the piece can pose a physical hazard, making prompt correction of the underlying expansion mismatch important beyond just aesthetics.
Related Ceramic Defect & Raw Material Guides
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