What does it cost to fire Ceramics or Pottery?

$1.00? $10.00? $100.00?

    Customers often ask what will it cost to fire their bisque, pottery or ceramic greenware. Maybe it is the fear of the unknown, maybe it is wives tales told around the camp fire. What ever the reason the question is obviously a question that most people dread asking.

    So what does it cost?

    The simple answer is not very simple.....

    Firing costs are based upon the size, shape and complexity of the ceramic or pottery piece to be fired, the cost of labor to load and unload the kilns, the commercial cost of electricity as well as cost recovery of the kiln.  Even with all of the complexity regarding firing costs, Dogwood Ceramic Supply has developed a simple pricing chart (what the industry commonly calls a Firing Chart or a Firing Cost Chart) with fair prices for basic clay shapes:

Dogwood Ceramic Supply

FIRING CHARGES

Absolute Minimum Firing Charges:
    $1.25-Low Fire Cast Greenware (Cone 04)
    $1.75-Low Fire (Cone 05-06) Glaze, or Hand Made Greenware (Cone 04)
    $2.00-High Fire (Cone 4-6) Glaze


The firing fee is based on the maximum dimension:

    *Items between sizes are rounded up to the larger size.

    **High Fire Glazes (such as Spectrum's 1100 Series or Duncan Renaissance Glazes), are not fired on a regular schedule and may take a longer than Firing to Lower temperatures.  (typically 2 weeks+)

    For items larger than 14 inches add $1.00 per inch.

Additional Information:

What is "Firing":

    The process of applying heat to ceramic wares is the simple dictionary definition of "firing".

    In ceramic land, we refer to any operation of the kiln as "firing" or being "fired".  It doesn't matter whether the wares are being "fired" to maturity or decorative products are being "fired" to the wares.  Customers will request their wares to be "fired", "cooked", "nuked", "heated" or "that thing with the kiln".  Doesn't matter what they say because we understand what they mean.


What is "Firing", Part 2:

    During the Firing process the kiln will be slowly heated to the final temperature and then cool down to room temperature.  The temperature is dependant upon the maturity point of the clays or slips as well as the glazes applied to the wares.  In general terms, Dogwood Ceramic Supply fires a wide range of "temperatures" between Cone 06 (roughly 1800˚F) to Cone 6 (roughly 2250˚F).  We refer to the end point of the firing as a Cone value rather than a temperature because the firing process is not a specific temperature rather it is the rate of climb (˚F/hour) to a temperature.  A change in the rate will change the end point.

    The firing process is a slow event.  8 to 12 hours to reach the final temperature is typical.  The firing process can not be sped up without risking damage to the wares.  The cool down time is typically 12 to 24 hours or more, depending upon the size of the kiln and the density of the wares being fired.  Bottom line, firing is not a fast process.  It is also something that can't be accomplished in your home oven or cousin's charcoal grill.


Basic Service Information:

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply fires ceramics and pottery as a service to our customers, charging a fee based on the size of the item fired, the cost of our equipment, time to load the kiln as well as the cost of electricity. Any verbal price estimate of the cost for firing is just that, an estimate. Several factors, such as Cone value, pre-heat time, difficulty in stilting or processing the item, as well as the difficulty fitting the item into a kiln load will eventually determine the final cost.

    Unless you are a regular firing customer of Dogwood Ceramic Supply, all items must be prepaid prior to firing.


Guarantee:

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply will treat your ceramic and pottery items as we would our own. We will fire your items per the manufacturer's recommendations for the glazes and/or underglazes. Since all glazes react differently to both application and temperature, we cannot predict how an item or glaze will respond or that you will get the results you anticipated.

    Firing is a service that is provided on a first come, first serve basis and we are not able to predict the quantity of wares to be fired that may be received or if kiln problems or electrical outages may delay our schedule, therefore there is no guarantee as to when an item to be fired may be completed.


Procedures:

    As a general rule allow a minimum of 7 days before your items will be ready for pickup. This time is necessary to allow proper firing and cool down for safe unloading of the kiln as well as handling our normal volumes of firing a wide range of products.

    When items are dropped off to be fired, you will be give an estimate of when the item (s) will be ready for pickup.  As we process items on a first come, first serve basis and we can not predict the quantity of wares to be fired that may be received, nor can we provide an estimate of our firing times until we actually receive your items. Should your firing not be ready by the estimated date (due to power outages or equipment failures), we will attempt to contact you to let you know not to come for the items.  This is the only purpose of us asking for your telephone number.  We will NOT call if the firing items will be completed on the day estimated.

    Any items not picked up within 30 days of the completion date will be considered abandoned.

   The customer is responsible for providing the proper firing temperatures (Cone values) of the wares to be fired. If you do not know the information, please bring the glaze container or the information from the box of clay.

    Only items which are dry to the touch will be fired. Any greenware that we determine to be not dry will have need to wait to be fired.


Glaze Firing:

    The very bottom of Cone 4-6 glaze items must be 100% glaze free and there must be at least ¼" margin at the bottom edge to prevent problems such as glaze melting and fusing the item to the kiln shelf. Wax Resist is allowed, but the quantity applied should be limited such that our kilns are not damaged by excessive quantities of wax resist. Our kiln shelves are coated with kiln wash to protect against minor drips and runs, however the customer is responsible for the cost of the replacement kiln shelf should the item become fused to the shelf.

    Low Fire (Cone 06) glazes may be applied to the entire bottom surface of the item as we can use a stilt to prevent fusing to the kiln shelf.


Bulk Tile Firing:

Dogwood Ceramic Supply fires a Paragon TnF 27-3 which is capable of firing 144 6" bisque tiles per kiln load when the tiles are unglazed on the back and fired in the specially designed Tile Racks.  Using a taller kiln, such as our Paragon Dragon or even the Viking 28, would not increase the number of tiles per kiln load as the racks are too tall to be triple stacked in these larger kiln chambers.     Bulk loads of Bisque Tiles (minimum 100 tiles) will be fired for $1 per tile for schools and recreation programs who purchase their tile, underglaze products and clear glaze from Dogwood Ceramic Supply.  Unglazed Bisque Tile are compatible only with low-fire products.

Equipment & Sizes:

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply operates a handful of kilns.  The Paragon Dragon and TnF 27-3 are our primary kilns.  Any ware fired by Dogwood Ceramic Supply must fit within the confines of these large kilns.

    The Dragon can accommodate wares up to 26" tall if unglazed, approximately 24" if glazed and we utilize a kiln shelf as a false floor to protect from glaze drips. The Dragon has a square floor (24" by 24") that can accommodate wares up to 30" in width IF the item can fit corner to corner and is narrow in width, otherwise the maximum width is about 23" (to allow expansion of the ware) to fit between the walls.

    The TnF 27-3 can accommodate wares up to 21" tall if unglazed, approximately 20" tall if glazed.  26" round shelves used in the TnF 27-3, which means the kiln can accommodate wares up to 26" in diameter.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply also fires a kiln similar to the Paragon Xpress 1193.  We use the "baby kiln" for rush orders, overflow firings as well as overglaze firings when we don't have enough overglazed wares to fill one of our larger kilns.


Limitations and Exceptions:

    We reserve the right to refuse to an item based on what may appear to be an unacceptable risk of causing damage to our kiln, other customer's ware or that the item contains a product which is considered a health hazard.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply maintains safety and firing information concerning the Duncan and Spectrum glazes and underglazes sold in our store.  For other brands of products, please bring the container with the original manufacturers label intact when you bring the item to Dogwood Ceramic Supply for firing.  Please note, Dogwood Ceramic Supply does not fire lead bearing glazes.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply provides firing service to our local hobby customers.  We reserve the right to refuse quantities of wares that would overload our firing operations or cause severe disruption to other customers.  In simple terms, if you have enough wares to fill a kiln you should strongly consider buying your own kiln.  Dogwood Ceramic Supply keeps plenty of kilns in stock and will even teach you how to use it.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply will post cut-off dates for specific types of firing (greenware, glaze etc) during December so that hobby customers can be assured of receiving their wares prior to Dogwood Ceramic Supply's closing for the Christmas Holidays.  The actual cut-off dates will be posted in The Showroom as well as on this website on the Hot Off the Press webpage.  Please remember, Dogwood Ceramic Supply is closed during the Christmas Holidays generally the same dates as the local school districts.

    We will NOT fire greenware with glaze applied.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply only fires clay based products.  We do not fire glass, decorative metal or other substances in our kilns.

12590 Dedeaux Road
Gulfport Mississippi, 39503
Telephone (228) 831-4848        Fax (228) 831-3111

Showroom Business Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 10AM to 5PM
Thursday 1PM to 6PM

Closed Wednesday and Sunday

   What does it cost to kiln fire ceramics?  Firing costs are based upon the size, shape and complexity of the piece to be fired. Dogwood Ceramic Supply has a basic price chart that is fair and simple to use for common clay shapes.