Best Scale for Pottery Glazes: What Potters Actually Need
Mixing glaze is weighing: a recipe is a list of percentages, and the result depends on hitting them. A good glaze scale has to do two very different jobs: weigh a 100 g test batch where 1% of cobalt is just 1 gram, and weigh a 5–10 kg bucket batch where the base materials run into kilograms.
What a glaze scale needs
- Readability for colorants. Colorants and opacifiers are often 0.5–5% of a recipe. In a 100 g test batch, 0.5% is 0.5 g, so you want at least 0.1 g readability, and 0.01 g makes small tests far more repeatable. For bucket batches, 0.1 g is plenty.
- Capacity with the container. The scale weighs your bucket too. A 5 kg dry batch in a plastic bucket needs a 10 kg scale; larger batches need 15 kg.
- A big, flat, cleanable pan. Buckets and mixing bowls should sit stable and centered. Stainless steel wipes clean of glaze dust.
- Tare. Zero the empty bucket, then add each material in turn, re-zeroing between additions if you like.
- Stable readings. A level bench away from drafts and kick wheels matters more than people think.
One scale or two?
Many potters end up with two: a 0.01 g balance for test tiles and colorant additions, and a 10–15 kg scale at 0.1 g for production batches. If you only buy one, buy the one that matches what you mix most often, and weigh small colorant amounts in a separate cup on the more precise balance when you have one.
Which Fristaden Lab balance fits
| You mostly mix… | Good fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Test tiles and small batches (up to ~2 kg with container) | HC Series 2000 g or 3000 g × 0.01 g | 0.01 g for colorants, 195 × 195 mm stainless pan |
| Bucket batches | HC Series 10 kg or 15 kg × 0.1 g | Room for the bucket, same large stainless pan |
| Small batches on a budget | HTP312 1000–3000 g × 0.01 g | Lower price, 0.01 g readability |
Buying checklist
- Biggest batch you mix + container weight ≤ capacity, with some headroom.
- Smallest single addition you weigh is at least 10–20 times the readability (0.5 g additions call for 0.01–0.05 g readability).
- The pan is big enough for your bucket or bowl to sit flat.
- It has tare, and the units you use (grams make percentage math easy).
- You can calibrate it yourself with a known weight.
Common mistakes
- Using a kitchen scale for colorants. Many read in 1 g steps, which is useless for a 0.5 g cobalt addition.
- Forgetting the bucket. Capacity includes the container.
- Scaling recipes by hand. Converting percentages to grams for a new batch size is where errors creep in. Our batch calculator converts percentages to grams for any batch size (enter additions as their own lines).
- Weighing in a draft next to an open door, fan or running wheel, so readings drift.
FAQ
Is 0.1 g readability enough for glazes?
For batches of a few kilograms, yes. For 100–300 g test batches with small colorant additions, 0.01 g gives you much more consistent results.
Do glaze recipes over 100% (base + additions) work with a percent-to-grams calculator?
Yes: calculate each line as a percentage of the base batch weight. Additions simply add to the total.
Can I weigh wet glaze on the same scale?
Yes, as long as the bucket plus glaze stays under capacity. Keep the pan clean and dry and don't let slurry run into the housing.
Should I wear a respirator when weighing dry materials?
Yes. Dry glaze materials can contain silica and other hazardous dusts; follow the safety data sheets for each material.
