The origin of tile manufacturing is the ancient art of pottery. The first works of pottery in Iran goes back to about 10,000 years BC in the form of unbaked clay, and the first pottery kilns sited date back to 6,000 years BC.
The continued development in the pottery has led to changes in the production methods, including changing the kilns, the invention of the pottery wheel and the additional works on products materials such as painting and glazing. Glazing to make waterproof tiles, as well as painted and beautified dishes and eventually pottery methods to prepare tiles, date back to about 5,000 years ago.
A large area of Iran is made up of deserts and dry lands. Stone, soil and sand, which are the main raw materials to produce ceramic tiles, so the industry has become abundant in Iran. The soil used in pottery is actually formed from igneous rocks over thousands of years, since the stones themselves are formed from the molten substance – magma which are basically caused by volcanic activity. By exposure to the weather over time, they will be destroyed and create clay minerals.
The modern raw materials for making ceramic tiles are clay, kaolinite, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide and a few particularly pure elements, which are mixed with water to make a mixture that can be shaped and molded into desired shapes and models.
