Kiln Firing Schedule Calculator
A firing schedule is a set of ramps and holds. This calculator turns your target temperature and ramp rates into a timeline you can enter into a kiln controller, and flags schedules that are too aggressive for the work.
Firing parameters
Set the target cone and your ramp rates. The calculator returns a timeline you can type into a controller.
Schedule presets
Notes and gotchas
- Always fire a bisque on a slow early ramp; most kiln failures happen below 600 °C.
- A controlled cool (drop 50 °C then hold) can improve glaze colour on some recipes.
- Log the actual time each cone bent, not just the controller reading.
- Verify the firing with a three-cone plaque visible through the peephole.
Pyrometric cone reference
Cone numbers do not run in a straight line: the low numbers with a leading zero (022, 06, 04) are the coolest, counting up to 01, after which the sequence restarts at 1 and rises to 10 and beyond.
| Cone 022 | 600 °C — Lustre, decals, low-fire |
|---|---|
| Cone 010 | 891 °C — Low-fire bisque |
| Cone 06 | 999 °C — Standard bisque, earthenware glaze |
| Cone 04 | 1060 °C — Earthenware glaze, hard bisque |
| Cone 02 | 1101 °C — Mid bisque |
| Cone 1 | 1154 °C — Mid-fire glaze |
| Cone 6 | 1222 °C — Mid-fire stoneware, the studio default |
| Cone 8 | 1263 °C — High-fire stoneware |
| Cone 10 | 1300 °C — High-fire porcelain and stoneware |
Estimates only. These calculators use standard ceramic relationships and typical material behaviour. Your clay body, kiln, elements and load will all shift the real numbers. Treat the output as a starting point, log what actually happens, and adjust.
Simulate it in 3D
Our studio simulators model the same relationships — throw a form, glaze it, cut a section or plot a firing curve.
Wheel Thrower
Shape a form and read off its capacity, height and the clay weight you will need.
Kiln Curve Simulator
Build a firing curve segment by segment and play it back as an animated schedule.
Glaze Painter
Paint glaze onto a rotating 3D pot and read the coverage and estimated glaze mass.