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Stoneware vs earthenware vs porcelain: which clay should you use?

The three classic pottery clays differ in one thing above all: how hot they fire. That decides your kiln, your glazes and what your pots can do.

Updated November 2026 · 7 min read

Two salt-glazed stoneware jugs
Photo: Valerie Everett, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr
The short version
  • Stoneware vs earthenware vs porcelain is mostly a question of firing temperature. Earthenware fires low (around cone 06–04), stoneware mid to high (cone 5–10), and porcelain usually mid to high as well, cone 6–10.
  • Earthenware is the easiest to fire in a small kiln and stays porous unless glazed. Stoneware fires denser and stronger, so it is the usual choice for mugs and plates fired at cone 6. Porcelain is the whitest and most translucent, and the least forgiving on the wheel.
  • Most home potters with an electric kiln work in cone 5–6 stoneware. With only a low-fire kiln, such as one listed at 2000 °F, earthenware is the match.
  • Our catalogue lists stoneware and earthenware bodies but no true throwing porcelain right now. The closest are smooth white mid-fire stonewares such as B-Mix.

Stoneware vs earthenware vs porcelain is the first clay decision for anyone moving from classes to working at home. All three are natural clays dug from the earth and blended by the supplier, and all three throw, trim and glaze. They differ in what minerals they contain, and so in how hot they must be fired to mature: to become hard, dense and finished.

That firing temperature is measured in cones. Orton puts cone 06 at 1828 °F, cone 04 at 1945 °F, cone 6 at 2232 °F and cone 10 at 2345 °F at a medium heating rate. Your clay's cone has to match both your kiln and your glazes. This explainer compares the three neutrally, then shows clay picks for stoneware and earthenware from several brands, with each listed cone quoted as given.

Stoneware

Mid- to high-fire (cone 5–10), dense and durable; the everyday choice for functional ware

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vs

Earthenware

Low-fire (around cone 06–04), warm terra cotta or white; fires in small kilns, stays porous unglazed

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Picks from each side

Stoneware

Earthenware

Stoneware vs earthenware vs porcelain at a glance

The three clay families

EarthenwareStonewarePorcelain
Typical firingLow fire, around cone 06–04Mid to high fire, cone 5–10Usually mid to high fire, cone 6–10
Fired density~ Porous unless glazed✓ Dense (vitrified when fully fired)✓ Very dense, can be translucent
Strength~ Softer, chips more easily✓ Strong, durable✓ Strong when fired, delicate before
ColorRed/terra cotta or whiteGray, buff, brown, white, speckledWhite
On the wheel✓ Forgiving, often grogged✓ Forgiving, wide range of textures~ Smooth but soft; slumps and cracks more easily
Kiln needed✓ Small kilns at about 2000 °F work~ Must reach cone 5–6 or higher~ Must reach the body's rated cone
Glaze colors✓ Bright, clear colors✓ Wide range, earthy to bright✓ Brightest colors on a white body
Good first clay?✓ Yes, for low-fire kilns✓ Yes, the most common choice~ Usually after some experience

Source: Clay at Home summary; cone values from Orton

ProductClay bodyFiring rangeWeightColor
Rocky Mountain Clay B-Mix Cone 6 Stoneware, 50 lbSmooth white mid fire stoneware (B-Mix)Mid Fire Cone 650lbGray, White
AMACO A-Mix Stoneware Clay No. 11, 50 lb, WhiteStoneware, No. 11 A-Mix—50 PoundsWhite
Old Potters White Stoneware Clay, Cone 6-10, 10 lbWhite StonewareCone 6-1010 lbWhite
TORISING Mid-High Fire White Clay, Cone 6-10, 5 lbMid to high fire whiteCone 6-105 LbsWhite
AMACO Terra Cotta 77 Earthenware Clay, 50 lbLow-fire earthenware, Terra Cotta 7706-550 LbsTerra cotta to darker red-brown
Rocky Mountain Clay Red Rock Terracotta, Cone 06, 10 lbRed terracotta, moist de-airedLow fire cone 0610 lbTerracotta
Old Potters Low Fire White Clay, Cones 06-04, 10 lbLow fire whiteCones 06-0410 lbsWhite
TORISING Low Fire White Pottery Clay, Cone 04-06, 5 lbLow fire white (kaolin)Cone 04-065LbsWhite

Specs as listed by the maker or seller; check the listing before you buy.

Firing temperature: why it decides everything

Clay matures when the right amount of heat fuses its particles. Fire earthenware too hot and it can slump, bloat or melt. Fire stoneware too low and it stays porous and weak. That is why the cone printed on the bag matters more than the brand.

Listed firing cones of catalogue clays on Orton's scale

°F at 108 °F/hr. Each mark is the top of the clay's listed range.

Red Rock terracotta, cone 06Old Potters low fire, cone 04B-Mix stoneware, cone 6Old Potters white stoneware, cone 101750 °F2,400 °F
Earthenware, cone 06–04: 1828–1945 °FMid-fire stoneware/porcelain, cone 5–6: 2167–2232 °FHigh fire, cone 8–10: 2280–2345 °F
Source: Orton cone chart; Clay at Home catalogue listings

Read the listed cone carefully. Some ranges are wide or unusual. AMACO's Terra Cotta 77 earthenware lists cone "06-5", ReArt's low-fire clay lists cones 04–3, and TORISING's low-fire white lists 04–06. When a range looks odd, check the maker's data sheet before firing hotter than cone 04. Our cone chart converts any cone to °F and °C.

Earthenware: the low-fire option

Earthenware is the classic terra cotta of flowerpots and folk pottery, plus white low-fire bodies used in classrooms. It fires at temperatures small kilns reach easily. A kiln listed at 2000 °F, like the Paragon Xpress E12A, covers it. Low-fire glazes on earthenware give bright, clean colors.

Pile of old terracotta flowerpots
Terracotta flowerpots are low-fire earthenware.Photo: Jonathan Billinger, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The trade-off is porosity. Fired earthenware stays slightly absorbent, so for anything that holds water the glaze does the sealing, and a crack or crazed glaze lets water in. It is also softer and chips more easily than stoneware.

In our catalogue: AMACO Terra Cotta 77 (50 lb, "terra cotta to darker red-brown"), Rocky Mountain Clay Red Rock Terracotta (moist, de-aired, cone 06, 10 lb), Old Potters Low Fire White (cones 06–04, 10 lb) and TORISING Low Fire White (cone 04–06, 5 lb).

Stoneware: the everyday functional clay

Stoneware is what most home potters throw. Fired to its cone, it becomes dense and durable, the reason it is used for mugs, plates and bakeware. Cone 5–6 stoneware is the standard for electric kilns, and many bodies also go to cone 10.

Stoneware comes in many textures: smooth for fine throwing, grogged (with fired, ground clay added) for big pieces and hand-building, and speckled. In our catalogue: Rocky Mountain Clay B-Mix (smooth white mid-fire, cone 6, 50 lb), AMACO A-Mix No. 11 (white stoneware, 50 lb, cone not in our listing), Old Potters White Stoneware (cone 6–10, 10 lb) and TORISING Mid-High Fire White (cone 6–10, 5 lb). More in best clay for the pottery wheel.

Porcelain: beautiful and demanding

Porcelain is a white, very fine clay. Fired, it is dense and can be thin enough to glow when light passes through it. Glazes look brightest on it. It is also the hardest of the three to throw. It is smooth but soft, slumps if overworked, shows every mark and is prone to cracking as it dries.

Two pale, finely thrown bowls
Pale, finely thrown bowls in a white body.Photo: Eric Timewell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Our catalogue does not currently list a true throwing porcelain. If you want to try the look, smooth white mid-fire stonewares like B-Mix are a common stepping stone. Sculpey Air-Dry Porcelain is an air-dry craft clay with a porcelain-like finish, not a kiln porcelain.

Shrinkage, food use and other practical differences

Every clay shrinks as it dries and again in the kiln, and higher-fire bodies often shrink more. Check the shrinkage figure on the maker's data sheet, and size your pieces with the clay shrinkage calculator.

Food-safe ware is clay + glaze + firingNo clay is food-safe by itself. Use a glaze the maker lists as dinnerware-safe at the same cone your clay fires to, and fire it correctly. If you sell functional pottery, consider lab leach testing. The FDA explains how lead in glazes can leach into food.Source: FDA, lead-glazed pottery Q&A

Dust is the same for all three. Dried clay contains crystalline silica. OSHA's permissible exposure limit is 50 µg/m³ averaged over 8 hours, so clean wet and avoid sweeping. See the studio safety guide.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Mixing cones in one kiln load. A cone 6 firing can melt low-fire earthenware onto your shelf.
  • Buying clay your kiln cannot mature. A 2000 °F kiln cannot fire cone 6 stoneware (2232 °F).
  • Pairing glaze and clay from different cones. They must match.
  • Starting with porcelain on day one. Learn centering on forgiving stoneware first.
  • Letting reclaim bags get mixed up. Label your scraps by clay body. See how to reclaim clay.

Other options worth a look

Once you pick a clay, match the glaze and confirm the firing. Penguin Pottery's Glossy Clear is a 64 oz cone 5–6 zinc-free clear for stoneware, listed as suitable for food contact when fired to cone. Sax True Flow Natural Clear is a cone 06–05 gloss listed as dinnerware-safe at that range, for earthenware. AMACO's C-11 Mixing Clear is a cone 5–6 zinc-free clear. Orton junior cones show what a firing really reached.

Browse the clay category or the food-safe ware hub. Not ready for a kiln? Compare air-dry vs polymer clay.

How we compared

We used Orton's cone chart and the clay listings in our catalogue, quoting each listed cone and weight as given. The general properties above are standard ceramic knowledge, not lab results. We did not fire or test these clays. Check each maker's data sheet for exact cone, shrinkage and absorption.

VerdictChoose stoneware if you have, or will use, a kiln that reaches cone 5–6 and want durable mugs, bowls and plates. It is the most forgiving all-round clay for the wheel. Choose earthenware if your kiln only reaches low fire (such as a model listed at 2000 °F), you love terra cotta or bright low-fire color, or you are teaching a class. Glaze anything that holds liquid. Choose porcelain once you are comfortable on the wheel and want white, refined, translucent work, and fire it to its rated cone.
Clay shrinkage calculatorConvert between wet and fired size by your clay’s shrinkage percentage, find the right scale-up factor, and…Orton cone temperature chartOrton self-supporting cone temperatures for cones 022 to 10 at slow, medium and fast heating rates, in °F…

Questions

What is the difference between stoneware, earthenware and porcelain?
In stoneware vs earthenware vs porcelain, the main difference is firing temperature. Earthenware fires low (around cone 06–04) and stays porous. Stoneware fires to cone 5–10 and becomes dense and strong. Porcelain is a fine white clay, usually fired to cone 6–10, and can be translucent.
Which clay is best for beginners?
Cone 5–6 stoneware is the most common choice for beginners with an electric kiln, because it is forgiving on the wheel and durable when fired. With a low-fire kiln, use earthenware.
Is earthenware food safe?
No clay is food-safe on its own. Earthenware stays porous, so it relies on a glaze listed as dinnerware-safe at its cone, fired correctly. Sellers should consider lab leach testing.
Can I fire earthenware and stoneware together?
Not at stoneware temperature. A cone 6 firing can over-fire and melt low-fire earthenware. You can bisque both at a low cone, but glaze-fire each at its own cone.
Why is porcelain hard to throw?
It is very fine and smooth with little grog, so it gets soft quickly, slumps if overworked and is prone to cracking as it dries.
What cone is B-Mix clay?
The Rocky Mountain Clay B-Mix listing in our catalogue says mid-fire cone 6.

Sources

  1. Orton: Pyrometric cones
  2. FDA: Questions and answers on lead-glazed traditional pottery
  3. OSHA: Crystalline silica
  4. Ceramic Arts Network: How to determine clay shrinkage