Pottery & Ceramics

Wheel-thrown, hand-built, slip-cast and press-moulded ceramics reach world markets as tableware, garden ware, tiles and decorative objects. Firing temperature is the fault line: earthenware, stoneware and porcelain behave differently in a dishwasher, a freezer and a shipping container. This section covers the world's pottery traditions, glaze families including tin-glaze, celadon and salt glaze, and the food-contact testing that any buyer of tableware has to plan for. It also covers the shrinkage and warping tolerances that make handmade ceramics dimensionally unlike factory ware.

Explore this craft worldwide

Product range and what is available	Explore →
Best known products by country	Explore →
Design traditions and patterns	Explore →
How to judge quality in the finished piece	Explore →
Telling handmade from machine-made	Explore →
Sizes, forms and typical dimensions	Explore →
Colours, finishes and surface options	Explore →
Price levels in the market	Explore →
Care, cleaning and durability	Explore →
Uses, styling and where the product fits	Explore →
Buying, minimum orders and lead time	Explore →
What buyers should check before ordering	Explore →
Geographical indications and craft marks	Explore →
Market demand and current trends	Explore →

Fix these before asking for a quotation

The technique, named exactly — the process, not the look.
The input specification: material, grade and source.
An agreed variation tolerance for size, colour and weight.
The finish system, including who applies it.
The compliance regime of your selling market, identified before sampling.

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