Low fire means firing pottery to about cone 06 to 04, roughly 1000 to 1060 °C. It is the range for earthenware, terracotta and many bright commercial glazes and underglazes, and the usual range for bisque firings.
What Is Low Fire?
Low-fire work is popular in schools, paint-your-own studios and home kilns, because it is quicker, uses less electricity and is gentler on kiln elements. Orton gives cone 04 as about 1063 °C and cone 06 as about 998 °C when fired at 60 °C an hour at the end of the firing.
Low-fire glazes give strong, saturated colours, including bright reds, oranges and yellows that can be harder to achieve at higher temperatures. The trade-off is that low-fired clay stays porous and is less durable, so glaze coverage and fit matter more for functional ware.
Most stoneware and porcelain is bisque fired in the low-fire range, then glaze fired much hotter. Low-fire clays must not be fired to mid- or high-fire temperatures, where they can bloat, slump or melt. Check the cone on both the clay bag and the glaze jar before every firing. When in doubt, ask your studio or firing service which loads they run.
This pottery glossary entry from Le Studio Art Space is general educational content. Always follow the clay, glaze and kiln makers’ data for your own materials and equipment.