Vitreous Enamel is simply a thin layer of glass fused at a high temperature on to the surface of a metal.
It should not be confused with paint, which is sometimes called ‘enamel’. Paints cannot be vitreous enamel. They do not have the hardness, heat resistance and color stability that is only available with real vitreous enamel.
Most modern industrial enamel is applied to steel with low carbon content to control unwanted reactions during firing. It enables product purity.
Vitreous enamel is part of everyday life and found all around us, such as in your oven, water heater, pots and pans, and in your washing machine drum. Outside, you'll find it on signs, water storage tanks and many other places. It is selected because it is weatherproof, vandal resistant, fireproof and because it lasts.
Enamel is also used by artists and in jewelry, famously in Russia’s Fabergé eggs. Decorative enameling was the first use of the process of enameling, dating back to the 13th century BC.