Pottery Kiln Buying Guide

Questions to ask before buying a pottery kiln A pottery kiln is a thermally insulated furnace that's used to bake or "fire" clay, glass, and other materials. Kiln firing permanently hardens pottery ware, producing permanent changes via sintering, oxidation, and other processes. The pottery created by early humans was simply baked in bonfires. Wood-fueled kilns are still used today, but most modern pottery kilns are fueled by gas or electricity. Brick is the primary material used to construct potter's kilns, though ceramic fiber is also used. Kiln questions What type, what size, and how much pottery will you be making? Obviously, the bigger and more numerous the pieces, the bigger the pottery kiln will need to be. You'll want to fire as many pieces at a time as you can in order to save time and control your energy costs.

Type is also an issue that will affect temperature rating. Earthenware clays, for example, are fired at lower temperatures than stoneware. If you need a high-fire kiln, it should have a max temperature of anywhere from Cone 1 to Cone 10.

Available space is another consideration. For loading and ventilation, kilns should have a few feet of open space and several feet of overhead clearance.

Gas or electric?

Gas kilns are fueled by natural gas, propane, or butane. To install one, you'll need natural gas lines with adequate pressure, or an appropriately sized propane tank. With electric kilns, make sure that the voltage is suitable. If you're installing an electric kiln at home, 240 volts is likely correct. If you have a studio in an industrial building or institution, then you might need a 208-volt kiln.

In general, electric kilns are considered easier to use than gas kilns. Many electric kilns have an automatic shutdown, which eliminates the problem of overfiring. However, the functional advantage of a gas pottery kiln is that the oxygen-to-fuel ratio can be controlled. Known as "reduction firing," this allows the potter to create pots and other objects with unique and unpredictable color variations.

Front loading or top loading?

Front loading kilns are a lot easier to load, but that's really their sole advantage. Top loading kilns are usually lighter, smaller, and less expensive.

Are you doing glass or Raku work?

If you're primarily interested in working with glass or creating Raku ware, then you should consider one of our glass kilns or Raku kilns. Raku is a traditional form of Japanese pottery that uses low-fire materials and decorative crackled or crazed (lacy look) finishes.