Commissioning handmade tableware: samples, shrinkage, variation and spares

Commissioning a set of plates, bowls or mugs from a potter is different from buying off the shelf. Clay moves as it dries and fires. Glazes respond to every kiln load. A set made by hand will have small differences between pieces, and that is part of what you are paying for.

Most disappointments come from expectations that were never written down: a colour that looked different on screen, a plate a few millimetres smaller than its neighbours, a replacement that does not quite match. Each one is easier to handle when maker and client have agreed the tolerances up front.

This guide is for both sides. Clients can use it to ask the right questions. Makers can use it as a checklist for what to put in a quote. We use makers' and suppliers' published information and ceramic technical sources, and we name them as we go.

Key takeaways

• Agree on a fired sample, on the same clay body, as the reference for colour and surface, and keep it with the order.
• Clay shrinks as it dries and again in the kiln, so sizes vary slightly. Agree a tolerance if pieces must stack or match closely.
• Glaze colour shifts between batches. Order spares with the original set rather than relying on a later match.
• Ask for the lead time in writing and what could change it: drying, firing and the maker's kiln schedule all set the pace.
• For food use, ask for the care instructions and the basis for the food safety claim: a lab report or a declaration of compliance.
• Settle breakage in transit, chips found on arrival and later replacements before you pay a deposit.

How a tableware commission usually runs

Every studio works differently, but most commissions follow a similar shape:

1. Brief. What pieces, how many, which sizes and what they will be used for (daily dishwasher use, a restaurant, display).
2. Samples. The maker fires test pieces or glaze tiles on the clay body they will use.
3. Approval. The client picks a sample, and both sides record it as the reference.
4. Making. Throwing, turning or forming, then slow drying.
5. Firing. Typically a first (bisque) firing, then glazing and a glaze firing. Ask your maker how they fire, because it affects the timeline.
6. Checking. The maker inspects each piece for cracks, crazing and glaze faults.
7. Delivery with care instructions and any documentation.

Feldspar, a studio in Devon making fine bone china, says it takes bespoke work for interior designers, hotels and restaurants, from mugs in bespoke colours to unique pieces, and that it handles these by email enquiry. Mud Australia asks trade clients to get in touch for a quote and colour references. Neither publishes a fixed bespoke process, which is typical: the details are agreed per order.

Why clay shrinks and sets vary

Wet clay contains water between its particles. As it dries the particles move closer and the piece shrinks. In the kiln it shrinks again as the body densifies. Digitalfire, a long-running ceramic technical reference, gives 5 to 7% as typical drying shrinkage for thrown bodies, and notes that more than that often leads to drying cracks. In one example it describes a body that shrank almost 17% from wet to fired. It also notes that stoneware generally shrinks less in firing than porcelain.

The exact figure depends on the clay, how wet it was when formed, how thick the walls are and how hot the kiln got. Two plates thrown to the same measurement can come out a few millimetres apart. Digitalfire also points out that highly translucent porcelains tend to warp in firing, which matters for flat plates and lids.

Glaze varies too. Mud Australia says the colour of its rescued clay range varies slightly from batch to batch. Feldspar says all its items are handmade and can all vary very slightly. The Leach Pottery in St Ives notes that each potter making its Standard Ware has their own style and that the clay used varies.

For a client, the practical question is how much variation is acceptable. For stacking plates or nesting bowls, ask the maker what tolerance they can work to. For a mixed set of mugs, more variation may be welcome.

Glaze tests and samples

A screen is a poor guide to a glaze. Colour depends on the clay underneath, glaze thickness, where the piece sat in the kiln and the firing schedule. A fired sample is the only honest reference.

Good practice for both sides:

• Same clay body. A sample on a different clay can look quite different.
• Same use. If the set will go in a dishwasher daily, ask whether the glaze has been through one.
• Label and date it. Write the glaze name and firing on the back.
• Keep it. The client keeps one sample; the maker keeps its twin.

If the commission is for food use, ask whether the glaze and clay combination has been tested for lead and cadmium release. Our guide to food-safe glazes explains the rules.

Lead times: what drives them

We could not find a standard lead time for handmade tableware, and published figures vary from studio to studio. What drives the timeline is the same everywhere: the queue of existing orders, slow drying to avoid cracks, firing and cooling the kiln, any remakes for pieces that crack or warp, and packing. As one published example, Mere's Pottery, a studio in Ōhaeawai, New Zealand, says its estimate for a commission is usually at least four to six weeks, notes that drying to bone-dry can take weeks or months in humid weather, and usually makes backup pieces in case of cracking, warping or glaze problems.

Ask the maker for:

• a written estimate for samples and for the full order;
• what would delay it, such as a failed firing;
• how they will tell you about a delay.

Food safety and care paperwork

In the EU and the UK, ceramic articles placed on the market for food contact must meet limits on lead and cadmium release, and need a written declaration of compliance backed by test results. In England, documentary evidence that no lead or cadmium was used can replace the test documentation. For a client, that means asking a simple question: on what basis is this set suitable for food?

Ask for care instructions in writing too. Dishwasher, microwave and oven use depend on the clay body and decoration. Feldspar, for example, says anything with gold on it is hand wash only and cannot go in a microwave or dishwasher. Our guide to caring for handmade ceramics covers the reasons.

Breakage, spares and replacements

Three situations are worth settling in advance.

Damage in transit. Feldspar asks customers to email photos of damage as soon as possible after delivery so it can put things right. For a commission, agree who packs and insures the shipment, how quickly damage must be reported and whether the maker will remake or refund.

Chips found on arrival. Agree what counts as a fault (a chip, a crack, crazing) and what counts as normal variation (a slightly different glaze break, a pinhole on an unglazed foot).

Later replacements. Because glazes shift between batches, an exact match years later is unlikely. Options are:

• order one or two spares of each piece with the original set;
• ask the maker to keep a record of the clay, glaze and firing so a later replacement is as close as possible;
• agree that a replacement will be "as close as reasonably possible" rather than identical.

Feldspar offers replacement lids by email request, which shows the kind of part-by-part replacement some makers can offer.

What to agree in writing

Topic	What to write down
Pieces	Type, number, sizes and intended use
Reference	Which fired sample is the reference for colour and surface
Tolerance	Acceptable variation in size and colour
Lead time	Estimate for samples and full order, and how delays are communicated
Price and payment	Deposit, stage payments and balance (see payment schedules for commissions)
Changes	How changes after approval are priced (see change requests during a commission)
Food use	Basis for food suitability and care instructions
Delivery	Packing, insurance, reporting damage
Spares	Number of spares and how later replacements are handled

Makers who record the clay, glaze, firing and a photo of each finished piece will find replacements, care questions and future orders easier to answer.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and how they apply depends on the facts of each case. Before a decision about your own contract, product or business, check the current text with the relevant authority or ask a lawyer.

Sources

• Commissions and bespoke orders, Mere's Pottery: example of a published commission estimate (usually at least 4 to 6 weeks), drying time in humid weather, backup pieces
• Stoneware, Digitalfire: drying shrinkage of 5 to 7% for thrown bodies, 17% wet-to-fired example, stoneware shrinks less than porcelain
• Porcelain, Digitalfire: translucent porcelains tend to warp, shrinkage and absorption testing
• Earthenware, Digitalfire: bisque firing and glaze fit
• Trade and bespoke, Feldspar: bespoke work for designers, hotels and restaurants, enquiries by email, handmade in Devon
• FAQs, Feldspar: items vary very slightly, damage reported with photos, replacement lids
• Care for your wares, Feldspar: gold hand wash only, not for microwave or dishwasher
• Wholesale and trade, Mud Australia: contact for quote and colour references, rescued clay colour varies batch to batch
• FAQ, Leach Pottery: each potter's style and clay vary, Standard Ware stoneware
• Council Directive 84/500/EEC as amended, legislation.gov.uk: lead and cadmium limits and declaration of compliance
• The Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012, Part 4, legislation.gov.uk: England requirements and documentary evidence alternative