These are the resources worth knowing if you’re serious about glaze making — websites, software, books, and communities that consistently provide accurate, useful information. Glaze chemistry has a lot of bad information floating around online; the sources below are reliable.
Websites and Online Tools
Digitalfire (Tony Hansen)
The most comprehensive free resource on ceramic materials and glaze chemistry available anywhere. Tony Hansen’s site covers every common glaze material in exhaustive detail — chemistry, fired behavior, interaction with other materials, typical use levels, and problems to watch for. The Insight glaze chemistry software (paid) is also available here. If you want to understand why a glaze behaves the way it does, Digitalfire is the first place to look.
Glazy
A free, open-source glaze recipe database with tens of thousands of studio pottery recipes contributed by potters worldwide. Search by cone, color, surface type, or material. Each recipe shows the UMF (Unity Molecular Formula) analysis, fired photos contributed by users, and the full material list. Useful for finding starting-point recipes and seeing how other potters use specific materials. Free to use and contribute to.
Insight Glaze Chemistry Software
Desktop software for calculating the UMF (Unity Molecular Formula) of glaze recipes and comparing them analytically. Allows you to substitute materials, adjust recipes by chemistry rather than by feel, and identify potential problems before firing. A paid tool but worth it for serious glaze development work.
Insight Live (Online Version)
The browser-based version of Insight — no installation needed. Subscription-based. Useful for potters who want UMF analysis without committing to the full desktop software.
B2W Single-Colorant Test Calculator
A free interactive tool I built for running a single-colorant test: enter your base recipe and how many batches you’re testing, and it works out how much glaze to mix and exactly what to add to each test tile. Built to pair with a colorant combination matrix tool for full color studies.
B2W Colorant Combination Matrix Calculator
A free interactive tool for the full color study: it sizes one master batch, lists the double-strength colorant doses, and builds the numbered grid that tests every pairing of your colorants from a single set of batches. Set your own recipe, number of color batches, and water percentage and it does the rest.
Ceramic Materials Workshop — Matt and Rose Katz (paid)
The most rigorous structured glaze education available online. Matt and Rose Katz teach in-depth courses in glaze chemistry and materials — their Understanding Glazes and Advancing Glazes courses go deep into how materials and colorants actually behave, including the systematic testing labs that inspired the calculator above. Paid enrollment, and worth it if you want to understand glaze chemistry rather than just follow recipes.
Books
The Ceramic Spectrum — Robin Hopper
One of the most practical books on glaze chemistry for studio potters. Covers colorants extensively with firing results across different base glazes. Excellent visual reference for colorant behavior.
Mastering Cone 6 Glazes — John Hesselberth and Ron Roy
The standard reference for cone 6 electric kiln glazes. Covers glaze chemistry, durability, food safety, and provides tested recipes with clear explanations of why they work. Essential reading if cone 6 is your primary firing temperature.
The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes: Glazing & Firing at Cone 10 — John Britt
The definitive visual reference for cone 10 glazes. Hundreds of tested recipes with full-page fired photographs organized by glaze type, so you can see what a glaze actually looks like before you mix it. Indispensable for high-fire work.
The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes: Glazing and Firing at Cones 4–7 — John Britt
The cone 4–7 companion to Britt’s high-fire guide — the same photo-heavy, recipe-rich approach for mid-range firing. Together with Mastering Cone 6 Glazes, the best printed references for mid-range glazes.
Glazes for the Craft Potter — Harry Fraser
A thorough introduction to glaze chemistry with good coverage of materials and their oxide contributions. Good for building foundational chemistry knowledge.
The Potter’s Dictionary of Materials and Techniques — Frank Hamer and Janet Hamer
Comprehensive reference encyclopedia covering materials, techniques, chemistry, and kiln firing. Not a how-to book — more of a reference to look things up in. Worth having on the shelf.
Communities and Discussion
Ceramic Arts Network (ceramicartsnetwork.org)
Free articles, videos, and community forums covering all aspects of ceramics including glaze making and chemistry. Quality varies but there’s a large archive of useful content from experienced practitioners.
Reddit — r/Pottery and r/Ceramics
Active communities where you can ask questions and get input from a wide range of experience levels. Useful for troubleshooting, getting opinions on specific materials, and seeing other potters’ work. Quality of answers varies — cross-reference anything technical with Digitalfire.
Clayart Mailing List
One of the oldest online ceramics communities — a mailing list that has been running since the 1990s. Includes many experienced production potters and studio ceramicists. Searchable archive is a valuable resource for specific glaze chemistry questions that have been discussed over many years.
Related
See also: Glaze Making for Beginners, Chemical Formulas for Glaze Making, and Beginning a Glaze Pantry.
