Pottery Pricing Calculator

To price pottery, add up what one piece costs you - clay and glaze, your time at an hourly wage, kiln power and wear, packaging and a share of your monthly costs - with the pieces that crack carried by the good ones. Then set the price so that after Etsy fees and postage you still keep the profit share you pick (40% of the price to start), or use cost x multipliers or check your own price.

1. One kiln load and your time
pieces
of this design in one load
min
min
min
minutes for the whole load
hours
%
0% = unpaid, 100% = paid like work time
$/ hour
2. Materials
$
lb
lb
$
glaze, wax resist, elements and shelves per firing
%
10% = one in ten - the good pieces carry their cost
3. Kiln
W
0 if you fire at a community studio
hours
$per kWh
4. Per piece and monthly costs
$each
$each
$each
$each
$each
$0 for free shipping - the postage stays a cost
$/ month
shop fees, software, studio, insurance
pieces
5. Your price
% of price
after Etsy fees, postage and all your costs
x
x
$
Etsy fees and sales tax (Etsy US, October 2026)
%
of the item price + the shipping you charge
%
of what the buyer pays, sales tax included
$per order
$per sale
%
collected by Etsy for the state - it changes the processing fee only
rules differ by state

Price every design you make

The Pottery Pricing Calculator workbook on Etsy uses the same math as this page and adds:

  • Supply costs from the bag or jar: clay by the lb, brush-on glaze by the fl oz, dry glaze mix used by the g.
  • Kiln wear per firing: elements and shelves bought for about 150 firings become a cost per firing.
  • A community studio fee by the cubic inch, added like any other supply.
  • Each design built from a recipe picked from dropdown lists, with four finished examples to start from.
  • Every design on one Price List: cost, wholesale, retail, fees, postage, profit and profit per hour.
See the workbook on Etsy

One .xlsx file for Excel, plus a link to make your own copy in Google Sheets. Instant download.

The Pottery Pricing Calculator workbook open on a laptop, with the price at the top

Questions

How much should I charge for a handmade mug?

Add the clay and glaze, your making, glazing and finishing time at your hourly wage, the kiln power and wear, packaging and a share of your monthly costs, and let the good pieces carry the cracked ones. In the example, a 12 oz stoneware mug fired 24 to a load costs $19.34 and sells for $42 retail, $21 wholesale.

How do I count the pieces that crack in the kiln?

Type the share you lose (10% = one in ten). The clay, glaze, time and kiln power of the cracked pieces are carried by the good ones: cost / (1 - failure rate).

How do I work out the kiln electricity per piece?

Type the watts on your kiln label, the hours it draws full power for the bisque and glaze firings and your price per kWh. It is shared over the pieces in the load. If you fire at a community studio, leave the watts at 0 and add the studio fee to the materials.

Should I pay myself for drying time?

You choose. Greenware dries for days while you do other things; pay yourself 0% of that wait, 100% or anything between.

Which Etsy fees are counted?

The transaction fee of 6.5% of the item price and the shipping you charge, payment processing of 3% of what the buyer pays (sales tax included) plus $0.25, and the $0.20 listing fee - Etsy US rates as of October 2026. Open "Etsy fees and sales tax" to change any rate, or set them to 0 for a cash sale at a market.

Good to know

Questions? Message us on Etsy.

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