Earthenware Clay

Earthenware clay is one of the oldest and most widely used clay bodies in ceramics, valued for its natural colour range and workable, plastic feel. Traditionally associated with red earthenware (often called terracotta), earthenware is also available in buff, grey, and white bodies — making it a popular choice for everything from everyday functional pottery to decorative and sculptural work.

Our Earthenware clays come in a range of colours including buff, brown, white, and grey. However, the most well-known earthenware clay is terracotta clay, which is typically a rich rusty red colour. Red earthenware clay gets its distinctive colour because it has a high iron oxide content. To make earthenware clay waterproof and therefore suitable for dinnerware, it needs to be glaze fired.

Most earthenware clays are low-fire clays, typically fired between1040°C and 1160°C. Because earthenware is naturally porous, pieces intended for food or drink use are usually glaze fired to create a watertight surface suitable for dinnerware. You’ll also find earthenware casting slips (pottery slips), which are liquid clay bodies used for mould making and repeatable forms, produced by deflocculating plastic clay for reliable casting.

Earthenware clay options at a glance

Colours: terracotta (red), buff, grey, white
Formats: prepared plastic clay or powdered
Uses: throwing, hand building, sculpting, and slip casting
Firing range: 1040°C–1160°C (low fire)