Porcelain and ceramic are not different kinds of tile. Porcelain is just one of many varieties of ceramic tile. It has all the benefits of a ceramic tile but is made from china clay with very few impurities, enabling it to be pressed at higher pressures and fired at 1250 to 1300°c. This allows porcelain to have higher impact resistance, stain resistance and frost resistance etc.
Porcelain, which derives its present name from old Italian porcellana (cowrie shell), is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between 1,200 °C (2,192 °F) and 1,400 °C (2,552 °F). The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arise mainly from the formation of glass and the mineral mullite within the fired body at these high temperatures.