Costs
Part of What actually goes wrong in home pottery studios
Pricing supplies around the mistakes that waste them
Losses are a supply cost. How to build a waste allowance into pottery costs, and what published exhibition and sale figures show about the rest.
Every pot that fails carries the full cost of the pots that succeeded: the clay, the glaze, the two firings and the hours. Most home budgets leave that out, which is why the numbers never match reality.
What to take away
- Put a loss rate in the budget. If one piece in eight fails, every survivor costs about 14 percent more.
- Selling costs are separate from making costs, and they are usually underestimated.
- Published exhibition budgets show how wide the range is, so plan yours rather than assume.
- Sale rules can cap your price, which changes what is worth making.
Losses are a line item
Track them for one batch and the arithmetic becomes obvious. Count what went into the kiln and what came out usable. Cracks, warps, glaze runs, crazing and pieces stuck to shelves all count. Divide the total batch cost by the survivors, not by the number you made, and you have a real cost per pot.
| Loss | Typical cause | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Cracked in bisque | Not bone dry | Clay plus one firing |
| Glaze run onto shelf | Too thick, or glaze on the foot | The pot, plus shelf repair |
| Crazing | Glaze and body mismatch | The pot, and the glaze test you skipped |
| Warped flat pieces | Uneven drying | Clay plus one or two firings |
| Broken in handling | Carried by a handle or a rim | Everything, at the last step |
Selling costs are their own budget
Anything you show or sell has costs unrelated to clay. A published guide to budgeting for an exhibition gives worked examples at both ends: a small display at $107.50 for photos, adhesive tabs and printing, and a large exhibition at $4,765.00 covering posters, shipping, honoraria, frames, refreshments and a guest lecturer's travel. Its summary is that exhibitions cost anywhere from $10 to $40,000, which is why it recommends budgeting in advance.
Those are exhibition figures rather than craft fair figures, but the structure transfers. Printing, display and transport are real, arrive together, and stay invisible until you commit.
Where the wasted money actually sits
- Kiln space used by work that will not survive glazing.
- Glaze mixed in quantities that settle before you use them.
- Clay bought in bulk and allowed to stiffen.
- Time spent making pieces the venue will not accept.
The price ceiling you may not control
Where you sell can also set limits. One university student art sale requires that artwork be priced at $600 or less unless the sale manager gives written approval, accepts three-dimensional work including ceramics, wood, fiber, metals and glass, limits students to three entries on the virtual gallery page, and caps work considered for awards at 44 inches tall by 50 wide by 12 deep.
Read the rules before making for a venue. A price ceiling changes what is worth the kiln space, and a size limit changes what is worth making. Fold both into the cost per pot and the buying order you set.
Common questions
What loss rate should I assume?
Measure it rather than assume it. Beginners often lose one piece in four; an experienced potter on a familiar body and glaze may lose one in twenty.
Do I charge for pieces that failed?
Not directly. You cover them by pricing the survivors to carry the whole batch cost, which is what a loss allowance does.
Are firing fees per piece or per load?
Both exist. Studios charge by the pound of clay, by the shelf or by the piece, and the structure changes what size work is economical for you.
Should I make cheaper work to sell more?
Only if the cheaper work costs proportionally less to fire, which it usually does not. Kiln space, not clay, is what small cheap pieces consume.
