Clay body · by Sheffield Pottery
Birch White Stoneware
Product code 413 · Fires to cone 6
Published specs
As published by Sheffield Pottery. Shrinkage is total (wet to fired); absorption is water absorption of the fired body — the closer to 0%, the more vitrified.
The maker's page for this body does not publish shrinkage or absorption figures.
- Cone range
- cone 6
- Fired, oxidation
- Off White
- Grog
- medium
What the numbers mean at the wheel
Throwing size
No shrinkage figure published — throw a 10 cm test tile and measure it fired to get your own.
How vitrified
No absorption figure published.
Clay for a batch
Fifty 450 g mugs with 10% trim waste need about 24.8 kg (55 lb) of clay — 2 boxes of 50 lb. Same for any body; what changes is how much of each mug ends up on the shelf.
Comparable bodies
Bodies in the same firing range with the closest published shrinkage and absorption — starting points for a substitute, never a drop-in. Test.
| Body | Maker | Cone | Shrink. | Absorp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speckled BuffWC403 | Laguna Clay | cone 5 | 12% | 3% |
| B-Mix 5 With GrogWC436 | Laguna Clay | cone 5 | 11% | 2.75% |
| B-3 BrownWC391 | Laguna Clay | cone 5 | 10% | 3% |
| Smooth RedWC443 | Laguna Clay | cone 5 | 12% | 1% |
| Buff SculptureWC392 | Laguna Clay | cone 5 | 5% | 10% |
| Red B-Mix With GrogWC438 | Laguna Clay | cone 5 | 9% | 4% |
Questions
- What cone does Birch White Stoneware fire to?
- Sheffield Pottery rates it at cone 6. Fired above its range a body can slump or bloat; fired below it, it stays porous and glaze fit is unpredictable.
- Is Birch White Stoneware food safe?
- Food safety is a property of the fired glaze and the fit between glaze and body, not of the clay alone. A well-vitrified body (low absorption) with a stable, tested glaze is the usual functional combination; test your own.
Working with clay generates respirable silica dust. Wet-clean, ventilate, and wear a NIOSH-approved respirator for dry work; read the manufacturer's SDS for this body.
This information is provided for planning purposes and is derived from publicly available sources including OSHA regulations, NIOSH guidance, and manufacturer safety data sheets. It does not constitute professional safety advice. Consult your material suppliers' SDS documents and applicable local regulations for authoritative safety guidance.
Sources. Specs are the manufacturer's published values, read from the product page on 2026-08-17; nothing else on that page is reproduced. Throwing sizes and batch weights are computed by Claybench with the same formulas as our free shrinkage and clay weight calculators.
Claybench keeps this body's shrinkage on every form you plan
Add a clay body once; throwing sizes, drying times and clay-per-batch follow it through the studio.