Zirconia (ZrO₂) Ceramic Components — Properties, Grades and Applications
ZrO₂ · 氧化鋯 · LONGYI grades ZOI60 / ZOB56
Zirconia is the toughest oxide ceramic in general engineering use, and the one to reach for when a part is too thin, too slender or too highly loaded for alumina. LONGYI Precision Technology manufactures zirconia ceramic components in two production grades — ZOI60 (99%, ivory) for maximum strength, and ZOB56 (99%, black) for parts that have to stay non-reflective in front of a vision system — machined to drawing for precision wear parts, automated assembly, fluid handling and thermal isolation. Advanced ceramics, technical ceramics and fine ceramics are three names for the same family of engineered materials — the term changes with the region, the material does not. Both grades are produced in-house in Taiwan as an OEM / ODM manufacturer, not resold.
Material at a Glance
Zirconia is the ceramic that does not chip.
At 1000 MPa flexural strength and 4–5 MPa·m½ fracture toughness, ZOI60 carries roughly three times the strength of alumina and takes local stress that would crack it. The reason is not strength alone: at 200 GPa its Young's modulus is the lowest of any dense structural grade we make — half that of silicon carbide, closer to steel than to ceramic — so under load it deflects slightly instead of failing outright. Add the highest thermal expansion in the range at 10.5 ×10⁻⁶/°C, near enough to steel to make interference fits and metal housings behave, and zirconia becomes close to the only option for thin walls, slender sections, threaded features and press-fits into metal. The honest cost: 3 W/(m·K) thermal conductivity, the lowest in the range, and 6.0 g/cm³ density, the highest. Zirconia is a toughness material, not a thermal one.
How Zirconia Compares
Six properties that decide most selections. Zirconia leads on toughness and compliance and sits last on heat — reading both directions is the point of these bars.
Markers are spaced evenly by rank, not to linear scale. On the last two bars a higher position is not automatically better — low conductivity makes zirconia a thermal barrier, and high expansion is what lets it sit in a metal housing. Representative grades: Zirconia = ZOI60 · Alumina = AOW37 / AOI38 · Silicon Carbide = SCB32 · Silicon Nitride = Si₃N₄-2 · Aluminum Nitride = ANG34 · Boron Nitride = BN-T1800 · Porous Ceramic = SED90 · Machinable = BN-T2300. Values from LONGYI internal property testing.
Zirconia Properties by Grade
Typical values from LONGYI internal testing. Both grades are 99% purity and fully dense with zero water absorption; they differ in what the second phase does to strength and to electrical resistivity.
| Property | ZOI6099% · Ivory | ZOB5699% · Black |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | ||
| Bulk Densityg/cm³ | 6.0 | 5.6 |
| Water Absorption% | 0 | 0 |
| Mechanical | ||
| Vickers Hardness HV1GPa | 12.3 | 10.8 |
| Flexural StrengthMPa | 1000 | 710 |
| Compressive StrengthMPa | 1850 | 1850 |
| Young's ModulusGPa | 200 | 210 |
| Poisson's Ratio— | 0.31 | — |
| Fracture ToughnessMPa·m½ | 4 – 5 | 3 – 4 |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal Expansion 40–400 °C×10⁻⁶/°C | 10.5 | 10.3 |
| Thermal Expansion 40–800 °C×10⁻⁶/°C | 11.0 | 11.4 |
| Thermal Conductivity 20 °CW/(m·K) | 3 | 3 |
| Specific HeatJ/(kg·K) | 400 | 400 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance°C, quenched in water | 300 | — |
| Max Use Temperature°C | 1600 | 1600 |
| Electrical | ||
| Dielectric StrengthkV/mm | 11 | — |
| Volume Resistivity 20 °CΩ·cm | 10¹³ | 10⁸ |
| Volume Resistivity 300 °CΩ·cm | 10⁶ | — |
| Volume Resistivity 500 °CΩ·cm | 10⁵ | — |
| Dielectric Constantat 1 MHz | 33 | — |
| Chemical Resistance — weight loss mg/cm² | ||
| Nitric Acid60%, 90 °C, 24 h | ≒0.00 | — |
| Sulphuric Acid95%, 95 °C, 24 h | 0.04 | — |
| Caustic Soda30%, 80 °C, 24 h | 0.08 | — |
Values are typical for the stated grade and test condition, not guaranteed minimums. A dash (—) means the property has not been measured for that grade, not that it is zero. Final part specification is governed by the approved drawing and order confirmation.
What Each Number Actually Buys You
Which Grade Do You Need?
The default grade, and the one behind every figure quoted on this page. It carries the full 1000 MPa flexural strength and 4–5 MPa·m½ toughness, the higher hardness of the two, and the measured chemical resistance. Unless a camera has to look at the part, this is the grade to specify.
- Flexural1000 MPa
- Toughness4 – 5 MPa·m½
- Hardness12.3 GPa
Specify ZOB56 when the part sits inside a camera's field of view. Ivory zirconia is bright and glossy — under the ring light of an automated line it throws glare straight back at the vision system, and the machine loses the edge it is trying to find. The black body kills that reflection, which is why dispensing nozzles and index tables are ordered in ZOB56: the part has to be there during alignment and inspection without blinding the optics. The trade is mechanical — 710 MPa and 10.8 GPa against ZOI60's 1000 and 12.3, with toughness at 3–4 MPa·m½.
- Flexural710 MPa
- Toughness3 – 4 MPa·m½
- Hardness10.8 GPa
Both grades share the same 99% purity, the same 1600 °C limit, the same 3 W/(m·K) conductivity and the same zero water absorption — so temperature, thermal behaviour and chemistry are not the deciding factors between them. The question is whether the part has to be seen by a camera — and whether the design can afford the 290 MPa that answer costs.
Where Zirconia Is Used
Wear & Motion
- Precision blades and slitting knives
- Pump plungers and bearing sleeves
- Wire-drawing and textile guide rollers
- Wear-resistant nozzles and orifices
Automation & Vision ZOB56 black
- Dispensing and pick-up nozzles in camera-guided assembly
- Index tables and rotary stages on inspection lines
- Battery tab welding fixtures and locating pins
- Tooling that sits in the optical field during alignment
Electrical, Thermal & Medical
- Fibre optic ferrules and split sleeves
- Thin-wall and threaded insulating parts
- Insulating bushings, spacers and stand-offs
- Press-fit inserts into metal housings
- Medical and dental instrument components
When Zirconia Is the Wrong Choice
We would rather tell you the limits up front than have you machine a part that fails in service. Each of these is a real boundary in the data above.
At 3 W/(m·K) zirconia is the poorest conductor of the dense ceramics we make. If the part has to carry heat away from a die, a coil or a heater, look at aluminum nitride (AlN) at 220 W/(m·K) — 73× higher — or silicon carbide (SiC) at 50–60 W/(m·K).
6.0 g/cm³ is the highest density in the range, and on a fast-moving arm or a large plate that mass becomes inertia the machine has to accelerate. Alumina (Al₂O₃) is 3.7–3.8 and boron nitride (BN) only 1.5–1.6 — for large or high-acceleration parts, specific stiffness beats absolute strength.
For heavy abrasive wear, or a large moving part where deflection has to stay sub-micron, 12.3 GPa hardness and 200 GPa stiffness are not the ceiling. Silicon carbide reaches 22–23 GPa and 430–440 GPa — nearly twice the hardness and more than twice the rigidity.
Zirconia insulates well at room temperature (10¹³ Ω·cm) but drops to 10⁶ Ω·cm at 300 °C and 10⁵ at 500 °C, and its dielectric constant of 33 is by far the highest in the range. For high-voltage or high-frequency insulation at temperature use alumina (10¹⁰ Ω·cm at 300 °C, dielectric constant 9.4) or aluminum nitride.
1600 °C is the continuous limit for both grades. For furnace hot zones, evaporation boats or melt contact beyond that, use aluminum nitride (2200 °C) or boron nitride (2100 °C in inert atmosphere, 1500 °C in vacuum — but only 900–1000 °C in air, because BN oxidises).
Zirconia survives a 300 °C water quench — better than alumina at 200 °C, but not a thermal-cycling material. Its 10.5 ×10⁻⁶/°C expansion works against it here. For repeated rapid quenching under load, silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) takes 800–900 °C — more than double — because it combines high strength with the lowest expansion in the range at 2.8 ×10⁻⁶/°C.
Neither zirconia grade is a static-control material. ZOI60 sits at 10¹³ Ω·cm, which insulates so well that friction charge accumulates and then releases in one damaging event against a bare die. Where charge has to bleed away continuously, specify anti-static ceramic (ATC), which is qualified against surface resistance in the 10⁶–10⁹ Ω/sq dissipative window — a different measurement from the bulk volume resistivity quoted in the table above, and not interchangeable with it.
Zirconia has zero water absorption, so vacuum can only be applied through drilled holes or machined grooves — which leaves marks on thin or fragile work. Porous ceramic (PC) carries 35–45% open porosity with 2–100 µm pores and pulls vacuum evenly across the whole working face.
Zirconia must be formed, sintered and then diamond-ground, so a first prototype takes weeks. For a one-off, a design still in revision, or an insulating part needed in days, machinable ceramic is cut directly from stock with conventional tooling — no sintering, no shrinkage, no shrink compensation.
Parts We Make in Zirconia
Zirconia is used as the wear surface, the thin-section structural body, the fine-bore insert or the non-reflective black surface in several of our standard product lines.
From Material to Finished Part
Choosing zirconia is the easy half. Whether the geometry can actually be produced — and held to tolerance — depends on forming, sintering, grinding and measurement.
Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing
Zirconia parts start as pressed or injection-moulded green bodies, shrink substantially during sintering, and are then finished by diamond grinding and lapping. Because zirconia is both tough and dense, it grinds slowly and holds an edge — which is exactly why thin walls and fine threads are practical in it, and why the grinding strategy decides the cost.
See our manufacturing processAbout LONGYI Precision Technology
We are a Taiwan-based technical ceramics manufacturer, not a trading house. Forming, sintering, CNC and 5-axis machining, brazing, metallization and final inspection are handled in-house, which is what makes true OEM / ODM work — build to drawing, build to sample — practical at low volume.
About LONGYI Precision TechnologyNot Sure Whether ZOI60 or ZOB56 Fits Your Part?
Send a drawing, a sample, or just describe the operating condition — load, temperature, media, the mating metal, and whether a camera has to see the part. Our engineers will come back with a grade recommendation and a quotation.
Talk to Our EngineersFrequently Asked Questions
What is zirconia (ZrO₂) ceramic?
Zirconia ceramic is a sintered zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) body used where a ceramic part has to survive impact, thin walls, threads or a press fit into metal — the strongest and toughest oxide ceramic in general industrial use. LONGYI supplies it in two 99% grades: ZOI60 at 1000 MPa flexural strength for structural parts, and ZOB56, a non-reflective black grade at 710 MPa for parts that sit in front of a vision system.
Is "technical ceramics" the same as "advanced ceramics"?
Yes — they are regional names for the same family of materials. Europe and the UK say technical ceramics or engineering ceramics, North America and Taiwan say advanced ceramics, Japan says fine ceramics. All three describe engineered non-metallic materials such as zirconia, alumina and silicon carbide. The term changes with the region; the material does not.
ZOI60 or ZOB56 — which zirconia grade do I need?
Ask whether a camera has to look at the part. If it does — a dispensing nozzle in the alignment field, an index table under an inspection head — take ZOB56, because the black surface does not reflect the ring light back into the optics. If it does not, take ZOI60 and keep the mechanical performance: 1000 MPa flexural strength, 4–5 MPa·m½ toughness and 12.3 GPa hardness, against 710 MPa, 3–4 MPa·m½ and 10.8 GPa for the black grade. Everything else — 99% purity, 1600 °C, 3 W/(m·K), zero water absorption — is identical.
Why is zirconia used for thin walls, threads and slender parts?
Two numbers together. Flexural strength of 1000 MPa is roughly three times alumina's 350 MPa, and Young's modulus of 200 GPa is the lowest of our dense structural grades — about half that of silicon carbide. High strength with low stiffness means the part strains before it breaks, so stress spreads out instead of concentrating at a thread root or a sharp corner.
How does zirconia behave at temperature?
Continuous service to 1600 °C, but only a 300 °C water quench, and thermal conductivity of just 3 W/(m·K). Slow, uniform heating is fine and the low conductivity makes it a deliberate heat break; fast local quenching is what cracks it. For repeated thermal shock under load use silicon nitride (800–900 °C), and to move heat rather than block it use aluminum nitride.
Is zirconia an ESD or static-dissipative ceramic?
No. Neither zirconia grade is offered as an ESD material, and the volume resistivity figures in the table above are bulk material properties, not a static-control specification — ESD classification is made against surface resistance in Ω or Ω/sq, which is a different measurement. For parts that have to control charge, use our anti-static ceramic (ATC) line, specified at 10⁶–10⁹ Ω/sq.
Do you supply zirconia to drawing, or only standard parts?
To drawing, and to sample. Custom OEM / ODM geometry is our normal work rather than an exception — most of what we ship is specific to one customer's tool. Send a 2D drawing or a 3D model with the critical dimensions identified, and tell us which faces actually need tolerance; grinding every surface multiplies cost without adding function.
Explore All LONGYI Ceramic Materials
Ten material families, all manufactured and machined in-house.
Also Known As
zirconium oxide, zirconium dioxide, ZrO2, ZrO₂, zirconia ceramic, zirconia oxide ceramic, 氧化鋯, 氧化锆陶瓷, 二氧化鋯, Zirkonoxid, Zirkoniumdioxid, ジルコニア, sintered zirconia, black zirconia, ivory zirconia, non-reflective ceramic, anti-glare ceramic, matte black ceramic, machine vision fixture, ZOI60, ZOB56, zirconia insulator, zirconia wear part, zirconia bushing, zirconia plunger, zirconia ferrule, zirconia blade, zirconia nozzle, black ceramic nozzle, ceramic index table, technical ceramics, engineering ceramics, fine ceramics, precision ceramic machining, custom ceramic components, ceramic injection moulding
Zirconia Parts We Have Made
Production parts in both grades. The caption on each one is the reason the feature is there — not what it looks like.
Outside diameter ground to ±0.002 mm. At two microns the OD stops being a size and becomes a fit — the tube enters its housing with the clearance the design calls for, without selective assembly.
The raised collar is a locating shoulder: it seats against the housing face and fixes axial position, so assembly does not depend on how deep the part is pressed.
On a part this short the critical dimension is not length but end-face parallelism and squareness to the bore — a few microns of taper becomes tilt in the assembly above it.
In production quantity the problem is not one part but every part. An automated feeder will not sort out the one that is off, so bore and OD have to repeat across the whole lot.
As the outside diameter comes down the wall comes down with it, and the bore becomes the feature that sets the limit — the same constraint behind our Ø0.08 mm minimum bore in zirconia.
The non-reflective black face stops the ring light of an automated line from washing out the sensor that reads each index position. An ivory face would throw the light straight back.
Inertia rises with the square of radius, so the six openings are cut out near the rim where removing mass buys the most. The spoke junctions are filleted because a sharp corner is where a brittle material starts a crack.
The single notch breaking the regular tooth pattern gives the controller an absolute home reference, so position is known at power-up instead of counted from wherever the disc stopped.
Parts shown are customer geometry produced to drawing; dimensions and tolerances are specific to each application and are not standard catalogue items. Tell us the operating condition and we will come back with a grade recommendation.