Bauxite proppant is an aluminum ore from which most aluminum is extracted.

Ceramic proppants are engineered from either non-metallurgical bauxite or kaolin clay to have relatively high roundness, sphericity and size that can withstand very high levels of downhole pressure.Bauxite proppant is an aluminum ore from which most aluminum is extracted. Kaolin is a mineral clay that also contains aluminum, but not at ore grade levels. Through a process called sintering both materials can achieve superior strength characteristics.