Tabular alumina is produced by sintering ball-formed, intermediately burned calcined alumina at a temperature just under the 2040º C melting point of aluminum oxide. Tabular aluminas are fully shrunk coarse white crystalline alpha aluminas, normally flat hexagonal. The new crystals maintain the same hardness and density and have much better thermal shock resistance. These tabular alumina balls are then crushed, graded or screened, ground, and blended to a wide range of granular or powdered particle size distributions. Tabular aluminas are useful in ceramics, electrical insulators, dielectrics, shaped refractory, and unshaped refractory applications. They are available in sizes from around 40 mesh down to 325 mesh.