Making porcelain: The manufacturing process at Revol’s factory

Porcelain tableware and items often take on a decorative dimension in addition to their main purpose. In the quest for beauty, functionality and durability, this noble and natural material provides undeniable guarantees and benefits.

As a reference in its sector, French company Revol continually pushes the boundaries and inspirations to offer exceptional culinary creations. Endless narrative material, ceramic never ceases to reinvent itself thanks to the expert gestures of skilled workers at Revol.

Raw materials: The start of the process

Revol has been passionately making its own clay and enamels for over 250 years, allowing the manufacturer to better adapt it to various manufacturing processes.

The ingredients are essential to the high quality of the products and are all carefully chosen by Revol. The selected materials are then delivered to the preparation site of clay and enamel located near the factory in Saint-Uze in the Drôme region in the South of France.

Clay, quartz, feldspar and kaolin are thoroughly combined in a unique composition called ‘barbotine’. Revol’s porcelain is made from 100% natural mineral materials.

Most of these natural materials come from France and sometimes from Europe. Quartz, for example, is sourced only a few kilometres from the Drôme factory.

Revol is one of the last remaining porcelain makers in France, and one of the few in the world, to make its own clay!

The different stages of production: Achieving the final product

To guarantee a constant quality that meets the expectations of both professionals and private individuals, Revol handles all the stages of the porcelain production, starting from the choice of raw materials to the firing, until the finishing touch.

Precise and meticulous gestures of the workers (imagery: © Franck Hamel, Aude Lemaitre)

After selecting the raw materials, the manufacturer will grind them to produce the different pastes. Last year, Revol even created a new clay made of recycled ceramics and enamels, used for the eco-designed and sustainable No.W collection. After is the mould making: the factory itself designs and creates new moulds or uses its already existing ones.

Once the piece has been moulded and enameled, it has to be fired for eight hours at a very high temperature (1320°C / 2408°F), making Revol’s porcelain 100% non-porous.

One of the enameling processes: spray glazing (imagery: © Aude Lemaitre)

The last step is the decoration of the final product! Three techniques are used: decalcomania, spray or paintbrush decors.

At Revol’s factory, a quality control is conducted at each stage of the production.

Revol, 250 years of expertise

Nine generations of accomplished and passionate artisans and technicians have passed down their skills and love for the craft, allowing Revol to produce high-quality products. Since its creation, the company has produced a wide variety of refined and high-end porcelain pieces.

By placing innovation at the centre of each project, generations of workers and designers are constantly pushing back the frontiers of know-how in terms of material quality, design and hygiene. Revol’s team protects the most advanced techniques and processes and carefully preserves the talents of the workers to produce this porcelain of a unique quality.