Offering ceramic painting courses: The right equipment for studios, shops, and schools (incl. checklist)

Ceramic painting classes are a rewarding format that generates revenue, longer visits and a second visit equally well for shops, studios, schools, cafés and workshops.

The question we get most often about this at Formwerk Berlin pottery supplies: What do I need to offer my own class? This article answers exactly that. From how a class runs and kiln size to a cost breakdown, with concrete prices and suggestions.

How a paint-your-own class works

The most important difference from a classic pottery class: your guests do not form anything. They paint finished, already bisque-fired ceramic pieces. For you, that means only a single firing is needed and you do not have to teach a craft. The process has four steps.

Each blank goes through four stations: 1) unpacked, already bisque-fired blank, 2) painted by class participants, 3) freshly dipped in clear glaze, 4) fully fired. The milky glaze on cup three flows out and turns clear in the kiln.

What you need as a provider: the quick overview

Before we go into the details, here is the complete list at a glance. That is all there is to it, and in the following sections we go through each item individually.

How many pieces do you need to fire?

This number decides everything else, above all the kiln size. The simple calculation is: participants per class × classes per week = pieces per week. Do not calculate with maximum capacity, but with your realistic utilization, especially in the first months.

You should factor in two points right away, otherwise you will size too small. First, many guests paint more than one piece, especially at birthdays and with gift vouchers. Second, the pieces are mixed. The following table assumes one small blank per person, such as a cup. Once plates, bowls or vases are added, you need considerably more shelf space per piece, and the same number of people quickly fills the next larger kiln size. When in doubt, plan one size up from what the number of people alone suggests.

These figures are rough guidelines for small pieces and one bisque blank per person. For mixed ware with plates or bowls, or when guests paint several pieces, plan on about half a kiln load more. A short consultation on choosing the right kiln takes this uncertainty off your plate.

Why the volume figure doesn't scale in a straight line: in the glaze firing, pieces must not touch, unlike in the bisque firing. Every piece needs its own footprint plus a safety margin. As a rule of thumb, you can count on roughly 10 × 10 cm of shelf space per mug, and correspondingly more for a plate 20 cm in diameter.

Which kiln suits your classes?

The most common mistake when buying a kiln is looking only at the number of liters. What matters for you is something else: shelf area times the number of levels. Two kilns with identical volume can hold completely different numbers of mugs, depending on whether the volume comes from width or from height.

Five models that suit class businesses

We work mainly with kilns from the German manufacturers Kittec and Pyrotec. The following five models cover the typical situations, from a small shop to a busy class business.

All five models have a firing chamber height of 460 mm and so offer three firing levels. The difference in capacity comes from the diameter alone. The Mugs per firing column is a best case for small pieces. As soon as plates and larger pieces come into play, the number drops by half quickly, because nothing may touch in the glaze firing.

Kittec CB 60. The entry point for one or two small classes per week, or for shops and cafés that offer painting as a side format. It runs on a regular outlet, is comparatively light at about 75 kg and needs little floor space. The downside: as soon as more than two well-attended classes or mixed, larger ware come into the picture, you have to fire twice a week and have hardly any buffer for weekend peaks or birthday parties. If you plan commercially from the start, you will be more relaxed with a 95 liter kiln.

The Kittec CB 60 kiln, with a yellow stand

Kittec CB 60 Double. Same firing chamber, but with double insulation and an energy saving package from the factory. It uses less power, wears more slowly and reaches higher temperatures, so you could fire stoneware later on. The downside: it costs noticeably more than the CB 60 without holding a single piece more.

The Kittec CB 60 Double kiln, with a red stand

Kittec CB 95 PLUS. The special case for anyone without three-phase power: 95 liters on a regular outlet. Your entire weekly workload fits into one firing. The price for this is three things. The limited output of 3.6 kW heats a large firing chamber correspondingly slowly. The maximum temperature is 1,150 °C, which is sufficient for painting classes at around 1,050 °C, but not for later stoneware firings. And at 110 kg it weighs more than the larger ECO 95 S, because the thicker insulation for 230 V operation adds bulk. That matters when moving it into a basement.

The Kittec CB 95 PLUS kiln, with a green stand

Kittec ECO 70 S. The entry into the three-phase class. More volume than the CB 60 at a similar price, plus 5.6 kW instead of 3.6 kW, so it finishes noticeably faster. It requires a 400 V connection, which can often be planned in anyway when moving into new premises or renovating.

The Kittec ECO 70 S kiln with a red stand

Kittec ECO 95 S. Our most frequent recommendation for two to three well-attended classes per week. Same firing chamber height as the CB 60, but 510 instead of 400 mm in diameter, which is a good 60 percent more shelf area per level. That way you fire once a week instead of twice. Something to consider: at 95 kg and 770 × 850 mm outside dimensions it is noticeably larger, and the energy saving package is not included as standard here.

The Kittec ECO 95 S with a red stand

You can find a current comparison of different models in our article Kiln Comparison: The 5 Best Kilns for Potters 2026.

Top-loading or front-loading kiln?

For painting classes as a first ceramics offering, the top-loading kiln is often the right choice. At the same volume it costs considerably less, needs no swing space for a door, and when loading from above you can see perfectly whether pieces are touching. Your ware is small and light, so loading from above is not a problem.

A front-loading kiln is worth it if you fire daily, work with very large volumes, or for ergonomic reasons don't want to reach down into a kiln. At 230 V, though, the selection is small, and at the same capacity these units are more expensive and heavier. We have summarized what else to look out for when choosing a kiln here: Buying a Kiln: What Size, Power and Technology Do You Really Need?

The power question: 230 V or three-phase power?

This is where most plans get stuck. The good news first: you don't necessarily need three-phase power. For painting classes, firing is done at around 1,050 °C, and 230 V kilns reach this temperature without any problem.

What you need to keep in mind with 230 V:

• The kiln continuously draws about 3.6 kW over six to ten hours. It therefore needs a dedicated circuit protected with 16 A, no extension cords and no power strips.
• At 230 V, output is technically capped at about 3.6 kW. Larger kilns therefore heat up more slowly, which rarely matters for an overnight firing.
• There are also 230 V kilns with 95 liters. They reach a lower maximum temperature, which is entirely sufficient for painting classes, but not for stoneware later on.

Three-phase power is worth it if you are building or renovating anyway. From 400 V, larger models open up, heat-up time drops noticeably, and you often get more kiln for the money per liter. If an electrician is coming anyway, have a full five-pin CEE16 socket installed right away, so you are equipped for every model in this class.

The room: space, clearances, ventilation

A kiln can go in a basement, a side room or a workshop, but not in just any room. There are four points you should clarify in advance.

Colors and glazes

For painting classes you work with two product groups, and once you have understood this principle, it is simple.

Underglazes are what your guests paint with. They forgive mistakes, can be mixed and painted over, dry matte and are easy to handle, even for children's hands. The AMACO Velvet series is a widespread standard in class businesses, because it fires reliably and offers a wide range of colors.

The underglazes of the AMACO Velvet series

Clear glaze goes on top after the class. You dip each piece, fire once, done. Only this layer makes the piece food-safe, dishwasher-safe and, depending on the product, glossy or matte.

Because clear glazes come in both variants. Both are fired identically, at the same temperature, in the same run; the only difference is which container you dip the piece into after the class. If you like, you can let your guests choose between a matte and a glossy finish this way without changing anything in your workflow.

Practical tip for running classes: have your guests write their name and finish preference in pencil on the bottom of the piece. Pencil burns out without residue, and nothing gets mixed up in the shared firing.

This mug was finished with LM-10 Transparent Matte, so it gets a matte surface instead of a glossy one.

Choosing bisque blanks

A note on the term, because it has two meanings in pottery: in everyday workshop use, a blank usually means the unfired piece. In the painting class world, however, the term has become established for already bisque-fired ware, which you will also find as bisqueware or bisque-fired ware. That is exactly what you need: finished, once-fired mugs, plates, bowls, vases and decorative objects.

Technically, they must match your glaze. For painting classes you work at low fire, so the ware must be in the earthenware range and designed for a glaze firing around 1,050 °C. If this is not clearly stated in the product description, ask the supplier or have someone who knows the glazes check it.

From a business perspective, tiered pricing pays off. If you offer ware in three price classes, you can map different class prices, from the affordable after-work class to the birthday format with larger pieces. Don't calculate the bisqueware as a cost block, but as inventory that turns over: it is earned back right away through the class fee.

A ceramic blank before painting. Bisqueware comes in every shape imaginable, from minimalist to extravagant.

Tools and consumables

This is where it gets detailed, and it is exactly where the first classes fail. Not because of the kiln, but because twelve people are sitting there with four brushes. Split the list into two categories: specialist supplies that you buy from a pottery supplier, and consumables that you can get more cheaply locally.

So what does getting started cost?

Now to the point that interests most people the most and that hardly anyone writes about openly. The following prices are guide values for kilns from the manufacturers Kittec and Pyrotec, as of 2026. The prices given include VAT.

The kiln

Striking, and surprising for many: a 95 liter kiln on three-phase power can be cheaper than a 57 liter kiln with particularly good insulation for 230 V. If you have the option of having a three-phase power line installed, you get a lot more kiln for the money.

What you absolutely need

Useful options

Paints, tools, bisqueware

• Starter color palette: Eight core colors in the large container size plus eight to twelve accent colors in small bottles. Expect €250 to €350. Additional colors cost only a few euros in the small size, so variety is worth it here.
• Clear glaze: Around €66 per 3.8-liter container. You need at least two, one for the initial fill of the dipping vessel and one for refills. If you offer both matte and glossy, plan for four.
• Tool starter set for twelve to fifteen seats: around €250.
• Bisque blanks: €2 to €6 per piece, depending on the shape. For three months at medium utilization, you end up at about €1,000, which comes right back in through the course fees.

And what about the running costs?

Depending on the kiln size, a glaze firing costs you between €5 and €14 in electricity. With one firing per week, that comes to around €400 a year. On top of that come replacement paints and glazes, which depend on how full your classes actually are. How to calculate your consumption exactly is shown in our article How Much Electricity Does a Kiln Use for Ceramics?

FAQ

Do I need three-phase power for ceramic classes?
No. Painting classes are fired at around 1,050 °C, which kilns with 230 V can also reach. What matters is a dedicated circuit protected with 16 A. Three-phase power is worth it if you are building anyway or want to fire larger volumes.

What kiln size do I need for a commercial class business?
For one to two small classes per week, a 57 liter kiln is enough. As soon as you regularly run two to three well-attended classes, with mixed ware or birthday parties, a 95 liter kiln is the more sensible basis. It gives you a buffer for peaks, and you fire only once instead of twice a week.

How long does a glaze firing take?
Plan on six to ten hours of heating and twelve to twenty-four hours of cooling. If you start in the evening, you unload the next day. That is why most class providers fire overnight.

Can a kiln be placed in the basement?
Yes, if clearances, a non-combustible floor and a way to ventilate are in place. A basement window combined with a vent hose is usually enough.

Do I have to fire the bisqueware twice?
No. Bisque-fired ware has already had its first firing. For you, only the glaze firing is needed, so one pass per piece.

How many colors do I need at the start?
Eight core colors cover the need, and everything beyond that is selection for your guests. Because small containers of paint are inexpensive, it pays to go broad on the accent colors. The full wall of colors is the first wow moment for many participants.

Are the painted pieces food-safe?
Yes, as long as you use a food-safe clear glaze and fire correctly. This is standard with the common series for painting classes.

Can I mix paints from different manufacturers?
Usually yes, as long as you stay within the same firing range. There are differences in opacity. We recommend firing a few test tiles before the first class.

How long does it take from order to the first class?
The bottleneck is almost always the kiln delivery. Depending on model and season, you should plan for several weeks up to a few months. Paints, glazes and tools are available much faster.

Conclusion

Ceramic painting classes are technically simpler than most people assume. One firing, one program, one kiln. The real work lies in the preparation: the right kiln size for your class numbers, a properly planned power connection and a room that meets the requirements. If you clarify these three points up front, you have the hardest part behind you. And if you are planning commercially, you should rather choose the kiln one size larger than be annoyed later about too little capacity.

Note: All prices, temperatures and quantities given are guide values, as of 2026. Actual values depend on model, equipment, utilization and electricity price. For the electrical installation and safe operation of a kiln, we recommend an inspection by a qualified electrician.

Good luck with your classes, your Formwerk Berlin Team