Porcelain is a type of ceramic, but it also includes sand and, sometimes, glass. These make great tile floors, especially in places where there’s heavy foot traffic, such as the kitchen, bathroom or commercial applications.
Possibly the biggest difference is that porcelain is always waterproof, whether or not it’s glazed. It can also be installed outside as it stands up to any weather; it’s not unusual to find it on patios, decks and poolside.
Porcelain is a large format, pure white (although it does have patterns) material, with almost a translucent quality. It’s often associated with the cache of fine China or Italian Porcelana, so it is a little more expensive than ceramic.
Since it can be made to look like anything, many select this larger format to mimic stone, when budget doesn’t allow for natural, quarried, material, because of the fewer seams.