Clay Shrinkage Calculator

Check the final dimensions in our clay shrinkage calculator if you're to craft clay or metal clay objects. Your piece will be smaller after drying — the thing is, how much smaller and how to calculate it. With the clay shrinkage calculator, you don't have to worry about it anymore. It doesn't matter if you use regular clay, metal clay, or air dry clay — shrinkage affects them all. Check also what material is used to reduce clay shrinkage, as it might also come in handy!

If you're into crafting, be sure to also check our:

• Circle skirt calculator; and
• The Salt dough calculator.

Clay is a form of soil made up of tiny particles of aluminum silicate. When moist, clay is malleable, and when it dries, it becomes hard and brittle, and you cannot mold it anymore. Clay is widely used as a material for bricks, tiles, and pottery.

When making pottery, remember that the final size will differ from what you've sculpted - it will be smaller. It's because of the clay shrinkage phenomenon.

Clay shrinkage is the process of shrinking the clay when it dries out. While drying, the water particles evaporate from the original mass, and the whole object becomes smaller. Clay shrinkage applies to all types of clay — regular clay, metal clay, and air dry clay.

Regular clay will shrink by 10%-20%. In metal clays, it strongly depends on the type and kind of the clay and varies from 5% to even 30%. Air-dry clay shrinkage has the narrowest range — the object will get 8%-12% smaller.

Follow the steps:

1. Measure your clay object before it dries out. We need all three dimensions — height, width, and length.

2. Fill in the first three calculator rows with your measurements. Keep in mind that even though the basic unit is centimeters, you can change it to the most convenient unit.

3. Now, put in the clay shrinkage percentage. It describes how much the ready objects will be smaller than the original ones. Regular clay has a 10%-20% shrinkage level, air dry clay — about 8%-12%. Metal clay shrinkage depends on the particular kind - check out the metal clay shrinkage chart to find the type you've used.

4. Let the clay shrinkage calculator compute the results for you.

5. That's done! You know what the dimensions of your object will be after you cure it.

If you want to estimate the final dimensions on your own, here's the appropriate formula to calculate shrinkage in clay:

where:

• $\mathrm{dimension}$ — Length, width, and height of your object after curing;
• $\mathrm{original~dimension}$ — Length, width, and height of your object before it's cured — so this is what you've actually measured; and
• $\rm CS$ — Clay shrinkage percentage, expressed in percents (%), not as a fraction.

Move on to the How do I calculate 14 percent shrinkage on clay? question in our FAQ section to see how to put the formula to work.

Metal clay consists of metal particles (metals such as silver, gold, bronze, and copper) combined with water and an organic binder. We use metal clay mainly to make jewelry. When you fire metal clay objects in a kiln, the binder burns away, leaving pure metal particles.

Metal clay jewelry will shrink while burned as well. The level of shrinkage depends on the material used. Check the metal clay shrinkage chart for precise levels.

To calculate the 14 percent clay shrinkage:

1. Measure your object before it dries. You need all three dimensions: length, width, and height.

2. Now, for the length, use the formula:

   final length = original length × (1 - (CS/100))

   where CS is the clay shrinkage percentage.

3. In our case, CS is equal to 14. So the formula looks like this:

   final length = original length × 0.86

4. Use the same formula for width and height.

5. Now you're done! Remember, you can double-check the results with our clay shrinkage calculator.

To reduce clay shrinkage, you can use grog. Grog is clay that has already been fired and ground to various particle sizes. Usually, grog contains big particles, making it shrink less than typical clay.

The final dimensions of that piece will be 9, 10.8, and 13.5 in.

To calculate it, follow the steps:

1. The copper art clay shrinkage rate is 10%.

2. Use the formula:

   final dimension = original dimension × (1 - (CS/100))

   where CS is 10%.

3. Use the equation to calculate all the dimensions - length, width, and height.

There are multiple recipes for homemade clay. This is an easy flour and salt clay (or salt dough) recipe:

1. You need two cups of flour (~200 g), one cup of salt (~200 g), and ³/₄ cup of water (~125 ml). You can add spices for coloring.
2. Mix flour with salt, then add water and start stirring.
3. Knead until it comes together into a ball.
4. Your clay is ready!
5. Let it dry at room temperature for about two days or put it into a low-heated (~212 °F or 100 °C) oven for three hours.

Here are some simple ideas for air dry clay objects:

• Bowls;
• Plant pots;
• Vases;
• Air-dry clay ring holders;
• Fridge magnets of all kinds;
• Christmas decorations to hang on a Christmas tree;
• Earrings and necklaces.