One way to categorize types of porcelain is by how much moisture they can hold. Porcelain can range from nonvitreous, which holds the most water, to impervious, which holds very little. Semi vitreous porcelain falls in the middle of this range.
Porcelain
Porcelain is commonly used to make tiles and pottery. It is nonporous and stain-resistant.
Semi Vitreous Porcelain
This type of porcelain can absorb between 3 percent and 7 percent water.
Indoor Use
Semi vitreous porcelain is recommended only for indoor use.
Function
Do not use semi vitreous porcelain where it will have a lot of contact with water, although it can get wet occasionally. According to StarCraft Custom Builders, this type of porcelain is good for use as the backsplash in a kitchen.
Marks
With collectible pottery, a symbol next to the maker’s mark may signify which type of porcelain is used; S_V stands for semi vitreous.