Clay Review: From Porcelain To Stoneware, My Experiences

Clay Body

Manufacture

Cone 

Quantity Used

Notes

Continental Domestic Porcelain

Continental Clay

8-10

25lbs

Honestly, lovely to throw (if a little wet upon arrival) but did not fire like a porcelain would. It had a ton of specs/imperfections that, for the price, made me question if it was “worth it”. 

White Stoneware

Continental Clay

6-10

5 lbs

Lovely to throw, honestly probably my favorite of any white stoneware. It’s creamy in color and consistency, and easy to see why it’s a sleeper favorite for so many. For my work, I felt like it was just TOO creamy. 

Iceman

KY Mudworks

6

800 lbs

Lovely to throw with, and I am definitely an odd ball here, but I don’t love it. Not only did I find several bags with some weird mix-in situations in my load (annoying), I found it to be pretty fussy for a stoneware. It really needs to be dried slowly, cracks were pretty common for me at attachment points, and I generally didn’t feel it was worth the price plus shipping. Creamy in color, I found it needed a HOT 6 (if not an almost 7) to truly vitrify. 

White Bear

KY Mudworks

6

25 lbs

Lovely to throw with, handles and attachment points were a PAIN. I didn’t feel like it “pulled” well for handles and things really cracked a LOT. Exceedingly expensive and really similar color to Iceman, so I did not purchase a full load. 

Kota

KY Mudworks

6

900 lbs

Lovely to throw, translucent and it doesn’t even need to be that thin! I found it VERY prone to warping and cracking if not dried properly. I also found that the best way to avoid S cracks was to trim pieces and have a true foot (that added bit of compression when burnishing the bottom helped?). Also VERY prone to plucking, this is a clay that I found needed a TRUE 6, no hotter. Furthermore, it was not a clay I found could re-fire. Glaze issues were not only unlikely to be solved with a second firing, but the clay itself seemed to almost melt in another fire. I also really struggled with bleed through with liner colors- many left a real haze on the exterior (that translucency). It needed to be washed well after bisque (had the strangest powder finish after bisque that really negatively impacted glazes). 

Overall, it’s a clay I would have continued to use if not for the price, largely because it is so white and after 900 lbs I felt like I had a real handle on it. (For reference, when I’d originally purchased it, I got it for about $0.96/lb plus shipping. Updated 2025 prices, combined with the cone 6 limitations and general fussiness of the clay left me feeling like it just wasn’t worth it). 

213

Standard Clay

6

25 lbs

Ooof, I REALLY enjoyed throwing this clay, lovely creamy color, solid price point. I just couldn’t get past the absorption rate. At the time I used it, it was listed at 2%, which just was about 1.5% over where I’d like to be. I know this isn’t a deal breaker to everyone, though. 

182

Standard Clay

6-10

25 lbs

Again, I REALLY enjoyed throwing it! It’s a lovely stoneware, it just needs to be fired hotter than I was willing to fire at the time. The little specs in it really drove me insane, too and because I fired at a 6, everything crazed on it- like CRAZED. I’d venture it’s probably a great clay at 10 and with fun cone 10 glazes. That’s just not my work. 

551

Standard Clay

6*

25 lbs

Okay- phenomenal to throw with and work with. Felt like an easy stoneware, classified as a porcelain. I spoke with two artists who use it prior to trying. One said it was her favorite and the other said the same, but she also said that she fires it to cone 8. After trying 25 lbs, I can understand why. Ultimately, I just didn’t feel like navigating through that process. Creamy color, lovely to work with, just not *vitrified enough for me at 6 to commit to. 

I’ll say, I was a REAL ass to this clay. I handled it at a true leather hard and left it out to dry without being covered. The sipper cracked (predictable and not a deal breaker), the handles looked totally fine. If you can figure out the cone 8 part, I think it’s probably an amazing clay. 

365

Standard Clay

6

100 lbs**

**Full disclosure, at the time of this writing I just bought 2,000 lbs of it. 

Okay, the nitty gritty. Throws like a dream, I really enjoyed it. It does warp when pushed too hard- it’s porcelain. It did not seem to crack terribly in any capacity- and I tested this in summer when I typically have REALLY struggled with things cracking. I didn’t even baby it- made it and set it inside my little greenhouse in my middle shelf (which is ironically not the wettest spot). It really needs to be dried SUPER evenly though- whatever has airflow will dry, and if it's partially covered it's not going to end well. 

Color is a touch warmer, and when THIN THIN THIN it is translucent. In my initial tests I found it to really and truly vitrify at a soft 6, which is great for those of us with larger kilns with hot spots and cool spots. 

Price point on this was great (again at the time of writing, who knows what will happen) and I really felt like Standard believed/believes in the product they are selling.