Made of nearly pure silicon carbide, these sheets resist creep more than other ceramics and are consistently strong throughout, so they won’t sag under heavy loads at high temperatures. Because they withstand extreme temperatures, they’re often used as kiln furniture and machined into structural furnace components. This material has pores to help it expand during temperature swings to avoid cracking.

Silicon carbide resists chemicals such as acids and bases. It’s more chemically resistant than silicon nitride, but not as resistant as nitride-bonded or sintered silicon carbide.

Silicon carbide is nearly as hard as diamond and resists wear and abrasion. It won’t dent upon impact. Materials this hard are difficult to machine and can only be worked using diamond-tipped tools. Silicon carbide’s hardness makes it more brittle than other ceramics, so it will not perform as well as silicon nitride and yttria-stabilized zirconia if it cracks. This material resists breaking when bent, but it’s less bendable than sintered and nitride-bonded silicon carbide.