The Renaissance of Pottery: Figures, Market, and Value Chain

Pottery was long considered a hobby of the past. Today, pottery courses fill entire booking platforms; during the pandemic, manufacturers of pottery wheels could not keep up with production, and the number of artisanal ceramic businesses is growing at a double-digit rate. The renaissance of pottery is no longer just a perceived truth. It can be quantified in figures.

That is exactly what this article attempts to do. We at Formwerk Berlin have compiled all the reliable data available: on the development of the hobby, the size of the market, the companies behind it, and the value chain from clay mining to the finished mug. Where there are no reliable figures, we state that.

This analysis is provided by Formwerk Berlin, the specialist dealer for pottery supplies and workshop equipment

Table of Contents

• From craft to hobby and back
• Why now? Five drivers
• Who is doing pottery today?
• The market in figures
• The value chain
• Companies in the market
• The secondhand market as a gauge
• Hype or permanent trend?
• Methodology and sources

From craft to hobby and back

Ceramics is one of the oldest cultural techniques of humanity. The earliest fired clay figures are more than 20,000 years old.^[1] In Germany, pottery regions like the Westerwald, known for its salt-glazed stoneware, shaped entire landscapes for centuries. Pottery was a livelihood, not a pastime.

That changed in the 20th century. Industry took over functional tableware, while the craft sector turned toward design. The Bauhaus operated its own ceramics workshop in Dornburg an der Saale starting in 1920. In the seventies and eighties, pottery experienced another boom as a hobby, supported primarily by adult education centers (Volkshochschulen). Afterward, it went quiet. For many, pottery was considered dusty or outdated.

The turning point came around 2015. Since then, interest has been growing again, first in the UK and the US, then in Germany. Today, the hobby has a different form than it did back then: less adult education, more private studios, more home workshops, and a fluid transition from hobby to part-time business.

The well-known German porcelain manufacturer Kahla from Thuringia filed for insolvency in 2026

The contrast with the industry is noteworthy. While the craft sector is growing, major porcelain manufacturers are struggling. Kahla, founded in 1844, filed for insolvency again in the spring of 2026 with around 120 employees, citing high energy costs and a reluctance of the hospitality industry to purchase new goods.^[2] According to media reports from early October 2026, production is expected to be shut down by the end of the year.^[3]

Why now? Five drivers

1. Television

On November 3, 2015, the show "The Great Pottery Throw Down" launched in the UK. Nine seasons have aired so far, with finale episodes regularly reaching around three million viewers.^[4] The impact on the retail market was measurable: the British craft chain Hobbycraft reported 26% higher clay sales during the second season compared to the previous year. For air-dry clay, increases depending on the type were between 294% and 314%.^[5] The show has been available in the US since 2020, and a Canadian spin-off has existed since 2024.^[4]

2. The pandemic

When courses and workshops closed in 2020, many brought the workshop home. The German wheel manufacturer HSL reported 20 to 30% more revenue for 2020. 500 units of the entry-level model were sold instead of 350, an increase of a good 40%. Demand exceeded production capacity. In the industry, they referred to it as "Corona pottery."^[6]

3. Social media

Hardly any craft is as filmable as throwing on the wheel. Short videos of centering, pulling up, and trimming reach millions on TikTok and Instagram. Added to this are prominent hobby potters like actor Seth Rogen, who has been regularly showing his ceramics since 2019.^[1] Reliable data on reach is difficult to obtain, but the effect on visibility is undisputed.

4. The desire for manual work

Those who work in front of a screen all day seek an outlet where there is something tangible on the table at the end. Pottery is not alone in this. The German handicraft market reached €960 million in 2025, with knitting and crochet yarn sales increasing by 7%.^[7] Clay has a unique characteristic: it demands full attention. If you are centering, you cannot check your phone at the same time.

5. Courses as an experience

Pottery courses are booked like concert tickets today, often as gifts or group activities. The platform Konfetti alone lists over 400 pottery courses in Germany and Austria. In their ranking of the 30 most popular studios, Berlin leads with nine entries, followed by Bavaria and NRW with five each.^[8] A count of the Berlin ceramic scene identifies 46 pottery studios in a single city.

The trend toward pottery is also clearly visible in Google Trends. There, the development of Google search queries is displayed over time. The growth of the search term "pottery" (Töpfern) has been particularly evident since the Corona pandemic in 2020.

Who is doing pottery today?

To our knowledge, there is no representative survey on how many people do pottery in Germany. However, some data paint a clear picture.

• Pottery is female-dominated. 77.5% of sole proprietorships in the ceramics craft are led by women. Of 51 apprentices, 48 are women.^[9] Retailers also report that women over 40 form the largest customer group.
• Buyers are getting younger. In the UK, nearly a third of handicraft buyers are under 35. The market in this age group has grown by 32% since 2006.^[10]
• The path leads from a course to one's own workshop. A typical progression is trial course, open studio, own wheel, own kiln.

A survey of over 100 ceramicists on Instagram from August 2025 shows what that home workshop looks like:^[11]

Own kiln	Share
Size 41 to 70 liters	47%
Size 71 to 100 liters	29%
400 V power connection	66%
Bought new	52%
Bought used	46%

The survey is not representative. However, it shows that the typical home workshop does not have a mini-kiln, but a mid-sized unit, and that nearly every second kiln is second-hand.

Our Berlin Ceramic Map is an attempt to collect all relevant ceramic and pottery locations in the city. Especially in the districts of Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, and Neukölln, there are many great studios.

The ceramic market in figures

Germany: A craft growing against the trend

The most significant figure comes from the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH). At the end of 2024, 2,241 ceramic businesses were registered in the directories of the Chambers of Crafts. By the end of 2025, there were 2,520. This corresponds to a growth of 12.4%, driven by 468 new registrations against 189 departures.^[9]

For comparison: the entire craft sector stagnated at around 1.04 million businesses during the same period. Among crafts not requiring specific licenses, only candle makers and engravers grew faster.^[9] The trend is not new. In the first half of 2022, the ceramics craft already grew by 5.4%.^[12]

A second figure puts the first one into perspective. Nationwide, there are only 51 apprentices in 36 training locations, 5.6% fewer than the previous year.^[9] There is therefore only one apprentice for every 49 businesses. Growth is thus not coming from classic apprenticeships. It is likely being driven by career changers who turn their hobby into a business.

Other key figures for the scene:

• At the 21st Day of Open Pottery in March 2026, more than 500 workshops and studios opened their doors.^[13]
• The pottery market in Dießen am Ammersee, one of the largest ceramic markets in Europe, counted around 160 ceramicists from twelve countries in 2025.^[14]
• Since 2025, the pottery and ceramics craft has been listed in the Nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.^[15]

How big is the German market? Our own estimate

There is no official figure for the pottery hobby market in Germany. We have therefore calculated it ourselves, from the bottom up and in three segments. This refers to the annual spending related to the hobby: on courses, materials, and equipment. Schools, daycare centers, and social institutions are not included. Because studios also buy kilns and clay, there is minor overlap between the segments.

This is not a measurement, but a back-of-the-envelope calculation based on open assumptions. Here is how it comes about:

If you set all assumptions cautiously, you end up at around 45 million euros. If you set them generously, it's around 230 million euros. The truth is likely in between. We consider an order of magnitude of a good 100 million euros to be plausible.

For context:

• That is just under 1.50 euros per inhabitant per year.
• The German handicrafts market is about eight times larger at 960 million euros.^[7]
• Trade in glass, ceramics, and porcelain in Germany had a turnover of 7.1 billion euros in 2025.^[18] The pottery hobby corresponds to just under two percent of that.
• For pottery supplies themselves, i.e., material and equipment including studio purchases, this calculation suggests that just under 60 million euros per year are spent.

Pottery is therefore a growing but still small market. The calculation is a start. Anyone with better data, such as manufacturers, associations, or studios, is explicitly invited to contradict us.

The value chain of the ceramics industry in Germany

Ceramics go through six stages from raw material to finished mug. The value of the material increases with each stage.

Stage 1: Raw material

According to the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Germany extracts around 10 million tons of clay annually, including bentonite and kaolin.^[19] According to the industry association, high-quality specialty clays accounted for a good 4.4 million tons in 2018.^[20] The deposits in the Westerwald are among the largest in Europe.^[19] The vast majority goes to the industry, i.e., for tiles, bricks, and sanitary ceramics. The hobby sector is a niche consumer for the mines.

Raw clay is cheap. In the USA, the average value for plastic clay at the mine was 47 US dollars per ton in 2025, i.e., a few cents per kilo.^[21]

Stage 2: Processing

Clay body manufacturers mix different clays, add grog depending on the recipe, deaerate the body, and package it in handy blocks. In retail, ten kilos of pottery clay usually cost 15 to 25 euros, i.e., 1.50 to 2.50 euros per kilo.^[17] The comparison across two countries is rough, but it shows the order of magnitude: there is at least a factor of 30 between the mine and the workbench. For glazes, the refinement is even greater because their value lies in tested, reproducible formulas.

Stage 3: Equipment

This is the largest single item for any workshop. In our estimate, private individuals and small studios in Germany spend around 14 million euros per year on this. In the survey of ceramicists, new entry-level kilns cost between 1,000 and 2,500 euros.^[11] New brand-name wheels start at a good 700 euros, simple imported wheels at around 120 euros.^[16]

Stage 4: Trade

Trade is highly fragmented. Five types can be distinguished:

• Specialized retailers for pottery supplies, online and brick-and-mortar, with consulting and a full range of products from clay to kilns.
• Direct sales by manufacturers, especially for clay bodies, kilns, and wheels.
• Art and craft supply dealers who carry pottery supplies as a partial assortment.
• Marketplaces, through which primarily cheap imported equipment is sold.
• The second-hand market, through which, according to the aforementioned survey, almost every second kiln changes owners.

Stage 5: Workshop

Studios earn money from courses, memberships for open studio access, and firing services. For many businesses, courses are an important pillar alongside the sale of their own ceramics. Anyone working from home bears the operating costs themselves. They are lower than many suspect: firing in a small kiln costs only a few euros in electricity. The calculation for this is in our article How much electricity does a kiln need?

Stage 6: Finished ceramics

One kilo of clay for around two euros turns into two to three mugs. Handmade mugs are often offered at markets and online for 25 to 45 euros each. The value is therefore created almost entirely through labor, skill, and design, not the material. How large this market can become is shown by Great Britain: in 2019, arts and crafts were sold for more than 3 billion pounds, with 73% of adults purchasing at least one handmade piece.^[10]

Companies in the market

The market is characterized by medium-sized enterprises. Family businesses and specialists dominate at almost every stage. A selection by stage:

Kilns

• Nabertherm from Lilienthal near Bremen has been building kilns since 1947, employs around 600 people, and claims to have 150,000 customers in over 100 countries.^[22] Ceramics is one of several divisions there.
• Rohde from Prutting in Upper Bavaria was founded in 1982 by Helmut Rohde, is managed as a second-generation family business, and employs around 90 people.^[23][24]
• Kittec from the Rosenheim area and Pyrotec are other German manufacturers of ceramic kilns.
• In the USA, Skutt, L&L, and Paragon define the market.

The four dominant kiln manufacturers in Germany. In a survey of potters in 2025, the overwhelming majority of participants stated they owned a kiln from one of these four manufacturers.

Pottery wheels

• Shimpo from Japan belongs to the Nidec Corporation and is one of the best-known manufacturers worldwide.^[25]
• Lindemann builds its wheels in Augsburg.
• HSL wheels are produced in the Schwarzach workshops, an institution of the Diakonie where people with disabilities work.^[6]
• Internationally, the Brent brand by the American manufacturer AMACO also plays a major role.

Clay bodies, glazes, and accessories

• The large German clay body manufacturers are located in the Westerwald, close to the deposits.
• For glazes, American brands such as AMACO are strong in the hobby sector; there are also established German manufacturers.
• For kiln control, Bentrup controllers are common, and for temperature monitoring, the cones of the American Orton Foundation are standard.

Courses and platforms

There are hardly any big names at the final stage. The more than 2,500 craft businesses and an unknown number of unregistered studios almost all operate locally. New to the market are booking platforms that bundle and provide visibility for courses. They have noticeably simplified access to the hobby.

Dealers & Pottery Supplies

There is a multitude of providers for craft and creative supplies on the market, including, for example, the boesner corporate group, which also carries pottery supplies. In addition, there are specialized retailers who focus exclusively on pottery.

At this point, we would naturally also like to highlight our own business: Formwerk Berlin – the specialist retailer for pottery supplies and workshop equipment.

The secondhand market as a barometer

The popularity of a hobby can also be seen in what happens on the secondhand market. An analysis of 100 listings on Kleinanzeigen in early October 2026 revealed the following picture.^[16] The details can be found in our guides Buying a used pottery wheel and Buying a used kiln.

• Supply is tight. Nationwide, there were around 300 listings for pottery wheels and 151 for kilns online. Only one-third of the listings for wheels and just under half of the listings for kilns were for actual suitable equipment.
• Branded equipment holds its value. Older branded wheels were offered for 850 to 950 euros, placing them above the original price of simple brand-name models.
• There is active searching. Among the 151 listings for kilns, there were 18 requests.
• Renting is becoming a business. Private individuals offer their wheels for rent and their kilns as a firing service.

Tight supply, stable prices, and active requests suggest demand that exceeds supply. In a flagging market, it would look different: the portals would be full of hardly used equipment at falling prices.

The renaissance of pottery - Hype or permanent?

Arguments for longevity:

• Growth has been sustained for years. The number of businesses rose significantly as early as 2022 and by 12.4% in 2025.
• Those who have invested in a kiln and wheel generally stick with it. The equipment lasts for decades.
• The infrastructure has grown: more studios, more courses, more firing services.
• Recognition as Intangible Cultural Heritage gives the craft additional visibility.

Arguments against:

• There is a lack of young talent. 51 apprentices are too few to pass on craft knowledge in the traditional way.
• Density is already high in large cities. With 46 studios in Berlin alone, it is questionable whether every offering will remain at full capacity in the long term.
• Energy costs affect everyone who fires, even if they are far less significant in the hobby sector than in industry.
• A portion of beginners quit. This is indicated by the hardly used import wheels offered on the secondhand market.

Our assessment: The rapid growth of recent years will level off. However, the base is broader than it was during the last pottery boom. Back then, adult education centers sustained the hobby. Today, it is sustained by thousands of small businesses, a growing number of private workshops, and a retail sector that also reaches beginners. Pottery will remain a niche market. But it is a niche that is here to stay.

Those who want to get started themselves will find an overview in our articles Pottery wheels in comparison and What are the three types of pottery wheels?

Methodology and Sources

This article summarizes publicly accessible figures. The research is current as of October 2026. The market size for Germany is our own estimate; all assumptions regarding this are provided in the text. The numbers in square brackets refer to the following sources. Price indications are observations and not market averages.

1. PBS SoCal: What the Resurgence of Pottery Says About Life Today, October 2021. To source
2. WirtschaftsWoche: Kahla files for insolvency again, March 2026. To source
3. MS Aktuell: Kahla Porzellan ceases production, October 2026. To source
4. Wikipedia: The Great Pottery Throw Down (Broadcast dates and viewer numbers). To source
5. Housewares Live: Nation goes potty for pottery (Sales figures Hobbycraft, 2017). To source
6. HSL Töpferscheiben: Press release dated February 17, 2021. To source
7. Initiative Handarbeit: Market figures 2025. To source
8. konfetti: Top 30 Pottery Studios 2025. To source
9. German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH): Business statistics 2025, published in June 2026. To source
10. Crafts Council: The Market for Craft, 2020. To source
11. Von Hanna mit Herz: Survey on kilns in the ceramic community, August 2025. To source
12. Deutsches Handwerksblatt: Skilled crafts, number of businesses stagnates (first half of 2022). To source
13. Day of Open Pottery 2026. To source
14. Art Aurea: 23rd Dießen Pottery Market. To source
15. German UNESCO Commission: Pottery and Ceramics Craft in Germany. To source
16. Own evaluation of 100 listings on Kleinanzeigen and own market estimation, October 2026.
17. Claymate: What does pottery cost? Price overview, January 2025. To source
18. IFH Köln: Market for glass, ceramics, porcelain stabilizes at 7.1 billion euros, June 2026. To source
19. GeoUnion Alfred Wegener Foundation: Clay is the Rock of the Year 2025 (funding figures from BGR). To source
20. Federal Association of Ceramic Raw Materials and Industrial Minerals: Annual Report 2017/2018, cited from To source
21. U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Clays. To source
22. Nabertherm: Company data. To source
23. Rohde: 40 years of Rohde. To source
24. Die Deutsche Wirtschaft: Company profile Helmut Rohde GmbH. To source
25. Nidec Drive Technology: Product page Shimpo pottery wheels. To source

Note: This article is for general information purposes only. Market estimates and our own calculations are subject to uncertainty and are not a basis for investment decisions. Information about companies is based on the cited public sources.

The Formwerk Berlin Team