Cone 6 temperature
Orton cone 6 bends at 2232 °F (1222 °C) at 108 °F/hr and 2269 °F (1243 °C) at 270 °F/hr. It sits in the mid fire range — cone 30 of 38 on the chart, counting up from 022.
108 °F/hr · 60 °C/hr
2232 °F1222 °C
Medium — the rate most charts quote
270 °F/hr · 150 °C/hr
2269 °F1243 °C
Fast — typical of a quick electric firing
Orton self-supporting regular cones; rate measured over the last 200 °F of the firing. Source: Orton °F chart; °C converted. Cones measure heat-work, so a controller set to 2232 °F is not the same as firing to cone 6 — put a witness cone on the shelf.
Cone 6 is not cone 06
Cone 06 — with the leading zero — is 404 °F cooler (1828 °F), in the bisque & earthenware range. Read the zero as “oh”; a glaze labeled for one will not behave at the other.
What cone 6 is used for
Mid fire — The most common range for functional stoneware and porcelain in electric kilns. Cone 6 is the modern default; cone 5 shows up on many commercial glazes.
Convention per Mastering Cone 6 Glazes (Hesselberth & Roy).
Cone 6 compared
| Comparison | At 108 °F/hr | Difference (medium) | Difference (fast) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cone 6 vs cone 06 | 1828 → 2232 °F | 404 °F (224 °C) | 414 °F (230 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 6 vs cone 5½ | 2197 → 2232 °F | 35 °F (19 °C) | 32 °F (18 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 6 vs cone 7 | 2232 → 2262 °F | 30 °F (17 °C) | 26 °F (14 °C) | cone 7 is hotter |
| cone 6 vs cone 04 | 1945 → 2232 °F | 287 °F (159 °C) | 298 °F (166 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 6 vs cone 5 | 2167 → 2232 °F | 65 °F (36 °C) | 64 °F (36 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 6 vs cone 10 | 2232 → 2345 °F | 113 °F (63 °C) | 112 °F (62 °C) | cone 10 is hotter |
Convert
cone 6 bends at
2232 °F(1222 °C)
At 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) — medium. Faster firing → the same cone bends hotter. Everything about cone 6 →
Questions
- What temperature is cone 6?
- Orton cone 6 bends at about 2232 °F (1222 °C) when the kiln climbs at 108 °F per hour, and about 2269 °F (1243 °C) at 270 °F per hour. Cones measure heat-work — temperature over time — so the faster you fire, the hotter the kiln has to get for the same cone to bend.
- What is cone 6 in Celsius?
- 1222 °C at 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) and 1243 °C at 270 °F/hr (150 °C/hr), converted from Orton's Fahrenheit chart for self-supporting regular cones.
- Is cone 6 the same as cone 06?
- No — and this is the most common cone mix-up. Cones with a leading zero count down toward cone 1, so cone 06 is cooler than cone 6: about 1828 °F versus 2232 °F at 108 °F/hr, a difference of 404 °F. Read the zero as "oh", not as nothing.
- What is cone 6 used for?
- cone 6 sits in the mid fire range. The most common range for functional stoneware and porcelain in electric kilns. Cone 6 is the modern default; cone 5 shows up on many commercial glazes.
- How far is cone 6 from cone 5½ and cone 7?
- At 108 °F/hr, cone 5½ bends 35 °F cooler (2197 °F) and cone 7 bends 30 °F hotter (2262 °F). One cone step is not a fixed number of degrees — the spacing varies across the chart.
Firing to cone 6? Claybench schedules the kiln around it.
Clay body, glazes, and firing schedule are matched by cone before a plan is saved.