Low Temperature Ceramic Glaze

What is a low temperature ceramic glaze?

Modern ceramics usually burn in a temperature span between 1000℃ to 1300℃, and these glazes are divided into; low temperature glazes – mid temperature glazes – and high temperature glazes. Primitive firing and special projects can work in lower temperature zones between 600 – 1000℃, and some ceramists even burn as high as 1500℃.

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All glazes on this page are low-temperature, also called low-fire glazes. More specific: They are tested and developed for a short firing range (6-14 hours), burned up to Cone 05 (Cone 05 = 1004℃), here the temperature is held for 30 minutes before the kiln is locked and the firing is finished. The glazes are all tested for wood-firing, but temperature vise there is no difference between an electric kiln, so yes these glazes should work in many types of kilns.

g 50 Colemanite 30 Nepheline Syenite 10 Feldspar Soda 10 Kaolin

Best black glossy low fire glaze for Cone 05

Best low fired black ceramic glaze

9 different raw material fluxing agent for ceramics var2

Metal-brown micro-bobbles low-fire glaze

g 60 Ferro Frit 3134 10 Chalk 10 Kaolin 30 Quarts

9 different raw material fluxing agent for ceramics var2

g 50 Borax Frits 20 Talc 30 Chalk 1020C 01 1

There exists a lot of greate low-fired glazes out there, developed by other ceramists, but here I wanted to make some from scratch myself. I share my experiments as I go. It’s a work in progress, and I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have hundreds of cool glazes at the moment. But things go the right way, and I hope spring / summer / autumn in 2024 gives a lot new glazes.

These glazes do not contain raw-materials that make them unhealthy to serve food on, but remember bacteria can grow in cracks in the glaze, or develop on matt and rough surfaces. So foodsafe is about more than just what materials are mixed together in the glaze.

For now, I am experimenting with glazes for sculptural purposes, some can be used for food-wares as-is, but I will test and add more food-safe glazes for pottery as time goes on.

With Low Temperature Ceramic Glaze I mean Cone 05 = 1004℃, that’s my goal. Most of these glazes can handle a higher span in temperature.

White glazes:

White glossy flakes

hHite glaze 1000 Cone 05

White Thin glaze - Almost Like a Wash

white glaze 20 high alkali frit 5 feldspar 5 chalk 5 magnesium carbonate

Bone White

g 80 Borax E Frit P2953 1 20 Talc

Best White Low-Fire Glaze for Terracotta

g 60 Ferro Frit 3134 10 Chalk 10 Kaolin 30 Quarts

Washes:

Wood Ash Glaze

g 40 Gerstley Borate 20 Feldspar 10 Kaolin 30 Wood Ash 1020C 01

Brown-red Thin Wash

Brown-read thin ceramic wash

Black Thin Wash

g 30 Borax E Frit P2953 1 30 Burned Terracotta 40 Green Oxide

Warm Semi Matt Wash

g 70 Borax E Frit P2953 1 30 Nepheline Syenite

Food-safe glazes:

Green-Black Glossy Glaze

Best black glossy low fire glaze for Cone 05

Frosty Glossy Thick Glaze

g 70 High Alkali Frit P2962 1 20 Talc 10 Ballclay

Thin Glossy Glaze

g 80 Sodium Bicarbonate 10 Bentonite 10 Quarts 1000C

Hippie Read-Brown

g 70 Colemanite 30 Feldspar Soda 001

Sculptural glazes:

Crackle Glaze

g 50 Borax E Frit P2953 1 30 Zink Oxide 10 Quarts 10 Kaolin

Green Crackled Glaze

g 40 Borax Frits 50 Quarts 10 Ballclay 1020C 03

Dry yellow gray

g 30 Borax Frits 30 Zink 30 Talc 10 Kaolin 1000C

Matte Metallic Gray

g 30 Gerstley Borate 30 Sodium Bicarbonate 10 Quarts 10 Talc 20 Kaolin 1000C

Low Temperature Ceramic Glaze – It’s always handy to understand the basics of glazes. Understand the difference between the melting agent (the flux), the glass-former, the stabilizer, and the fun part; the colors. Are core know-how, and handy when you have the “perfect” glaze, but it needs just a little adjustment.