Slab Mug
SlabBeginner
Slab preparation · Seam · Base · Handle · Drying
The complete template system for pottery handbuilders
Your clay isn't generic. Your template shouldn't be either.
Choose a ready-made blueprint, or generate a custom one around your clay and the exact size you want after firing.
- 50+ Ready-Made Forms
- ClayFit Custom Generator
- Sizing & Fit Tools
- Guided Build Workshops
$27 one-time · Instant digital access · 90-day guarantee
One system. Four connected parts.
Choose a form. Customize it. Size it to your clay. Build it with a guide.
A substantial ready-made library for fast starts, plus the tools to go custom when a fixed PDF is not enough.
ClayPatterns.com
The Handbuilt Pottery Blueprint System
Library · Generator · Fit System · Workshops
50+ Ready-Made Forms
ClayFit Generator
Sizing & Fit System
Workbook + test strip
6 Guided Workshops
6 Studio Success Cards
Strong Joins
Even Drying
Warping Prevention
+ 3 more
- 01
Template Library
50+ ready-made forms in 150+ size configurations across slab, coil, and pinch.
- 02
ClayFit Generator
Build a custom template around your clay in straight, tapered, and flared geometries.
- 03
ClayFit Sizing & Fit System
Work backward from fired size: shrinkage, lids, glaze space, nesting, matched sets.
- 04
Guided Workshops
Six builds shown from first cut through joins, support, and drying preparation.
- 6 Studio Success Cards
- A4 and US Letter
- Inches and centimeters
- Lifetime access
- Ongoing file updates
$27One-time payment
Instant digital access · No subscription · 90-day guarantee
The problem with generic templates
Most templates stop at the outline. That's where the hard part begins.
A fixed PDF shows where to cut. It cannot know whether your clay shrinks 8% or 15%, or how much room a lid needs after glazing.
- 01
Fired size changes
You planned the finished dimensions; the template assumed someone else's shrinkage.
- 02
Lids almost fit
They rock, bind, or drop inside—often because the geometry never allowed for a seat.
- 03
Sets almost match
Bowls nearly nest, cups nearly sit on their saucers. Repeating the form repeats the guesswork.
- 04
Simple projects become geometry problems
Shrinkage, circumference, paper scale, units, and join allowance stack up before the clay is opened.
Generic template
- One fixed starting size
- Generic or unstated shrinkage assumption
- Outline with limited construction context
- Lid and nesting adjustments left to the maker
- Printer scale and unit conversions easy to miss
- Repeating the result still requires manual mathematics
ClayPatterns system
- Starts with the desired fired dimensions
- Uses the maker's actual clay shrinkage
- Offers ready-made blueprints or custom generation
- Provides fit guidance for lids, glaze, nesting, and matching sets
- Supports A4, US Letter, centimeters, inches, and a print-control square
- Provides dimensions and templates that can be printed again for repeat builds
The ClayFit Generator, inside the complete system
When a ready-made form is not enough, build the template around your clay.
Pick a supported shape, enter the size you want after firing, and use your clay's actual shrinkage. ClayFit converts the plan into wet build dimensions before you print.
ClayFit Blueprint PreviewUS Letter · in
- Wet height
- 4.57 in
- Wet diameter
- 3.71 in
- Fired height
- 4.00 in
- Fired top Ø
- 3.25 in
- Wet bottom Ø
- 3.71 in
- Fired bottom Ø
- 3.25 in
- Slab thickness
- 0.25 in
- Join
- Butt
Included with the complete Template Library, Sizing & Fit System, and Guided Workshops for $27.
The ClayFit tools reduce avoidable sizing and fit guesswork. Final results still depend on your clay body, moisture, wall thickness, construction, drying, glaze, and firing.
Template Library
50+ ready-made forms in 150+ size configurations.
Everyday tableware, lidded pieces, planters, pouring vessels, and sculptural work. Pick a size, print, and build.
- BlueprintFinishedRendered silhouette of Straight mug
Straight mug
SlabBeginner4 sizes - BlueprintFinishedRendered silhouette of Tapered mug
Tapered mug
SlabBeginner3 sizes - BlueprintFinishedRendered silhouette of Espresso cup
Espresso cup
SlabBeginner2 sizes - BlueprintFinishedRendered silhouette of Nesting bowls
Nesting bowls
SlabIntermediate4 sizes - BlueprintFinishedRendered silhouette of Serving bowl
Serving bowl
SlabBeginner3 sizes - BlueprintFinishedRendered silhouette of Cup and saucer
Cup and saucer
SlabIntermediate2 sizes
ClayFit Sizing & Fit System
Make pieces that are designed to belong together.
Shrinkage changes overall size. Lids, glaze, nesting, and matched sets add their own clearances—kept visible before you build.
Lids that have somewhere to sit
Flange depth, gallery width, and a defined seating surface planned before the body is cut.
Room for glaze
Visible clearance zones so a fitted lid still fits after the glaze layer is added.
Bowls planned to nest
Graduated spacing between forms so the set stacks instead of almost stacking.
Cups and saucers planned together
Coordinated foot and well dimensions instead of two separate guesses.
These are practical planning allowances, not a promise that process variables disappear. Test with your clay and firing schedule before batching a set.
Guided Build Workshops
A template gets you started. The workshop gets you to the finished form.
Lidded Storage Jar
SlabIntermediateBody · Gallery · Lid clearance · Glaze planning
Nesting Bowls
SlabIntermediateRepeatable curves · Graduated spacing · Nesting allowances
Pitcher
SlabIntermediateWall profile · Handle · Rim · Pouring spout
Coil Statement Vase
CoilIntermediateProfile guide · Support · Compression · Building pace
Butter Dish
SlabIntermediateRegional size planning · Lid structure · Clearance · Fit checks
6 Studio Success Cards
Printable references for joins, drying, warping, print checks, firing prep, and fit troubleshooting.
- Studio Card01 / 06
Strong Joins
Score, slip, compress, and clean the seam.
- Studio Card02 / 06
Even Drying
Slow the rim, shelter the handles, rotate.
- Studio Card03 / 06
Warping Prevention
Support curves, dry flat, check the base.
- Studio Card04 / 06
Print & Scale Check
Measure the control square before cutting.
- Studio Card05 / 06
Pre-Firing Checklist
Bone dry, no trapped air, clean foot.
- Studio Card06 / 06
Lid & Fit Troubleshooting
Gallery depth, clearance, glaze space.
From idea to fired piece in four clear steps.
01
Choose or create
Start with a ready-made blueprint or generate a custom form.
02
Enter your clay
Use the wet-to-fired shrinkage listed by the manufacturer or measured with the included test strip.
03
Print and verify
Choose A4 or US Letter, centimeters or inches, then confirm the scale with the control square.
04
Build with the guide
Transfer, cut, join, support, dry, and prepare the piece for your kiln, studio, or firing service.
Perfect for
- Beginner and intermediate handbuilders
- Slab, coil, and pinch makers without a wheel
- Community-studio members and firing-service users
- Makers repeating forms, sets, gifts, or small batches
Important to know
- No pottery wheel required; kiln access or a firing service still is.
- Not a glazing, kiln-chemistry, or firing course.
- Designed for ceramic clay; no food-safety promises for air-dry clay.
- Better planning reduces avoidable errors—it does not replace good construction and drying.
The 90-Day First Project Guarantee
Pottery needs time to build, dry, fire, and evaluate. Use the system through a complete cycle. If it is not clearer and more useful than the standalone templates you have tried, contact us within 90 days for a refund, subject to the refund policy.
- 50+ original ready-made pottery forms
- 150+ real size configurations
- ClayFit Generator with virtually unlimited custom combinations within supported geometries
- ClayFit Sizing & Fit System
- Guided Build Workshops
- 6 Studio Success Cards
- A4 and US Letter
- Inches and centimeters
- Lifetime access
- Ongoing file updates
- 90-day guarantee
Get the complete ClayPatterns system
$27
One-time payment
- No subscription
- Digital product · nothing shipped
- 90-day guarantee
Questions handbuilders ask before buying.
Plan the fired piece before you cut the first slab.
50+ ready-made forms, the ClayFit Generator, sizing and fit tools, and guided workshops.
One-time payment · Instant digital access · 90-day guarantee