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Small Pottery Kiln

Small pottery kilns for a spare room, garage or shed — from the 16-litre Nabertherm Top 16/R at £2,405 to 61-litre top-loaders. Eight of the ten here plug into an ordinary 13-amp socket, and every one reaches at least 1,200°C.

Looking for the very smallest? Mini pottery kilns narrows this to the three at 16, 30 and 40 litres. Scroll down for the comparison table, what fits inside, and the honest bits.

How small can a pottery kiln be and still fire stoneware?

The smallest kiln we sell that fires stoneware is the 16-litre Nabertherm Top 16/R: £2,405, a 13-amp plug and 1,320°C. Tabletop kilns under £500 exist, but many are built for jewellery, metal clay and glass and stop around 1,000–1,150°C, below the roughly 1,220°C stoneware needs.

Mini, tabletop, small: what the words actually mean

You'll see all three used for the same kiln, and search results mix them up freely, so here's how we use them. A mini kiln, on our shelves, is one of the three smallest we sell: the Top 16/R at 16 litres, the Mercury at 30 and the Aurora at 40. They've got their own page, mini pottery kilns, if that's all you want to look at. A small kiln is anything up to 61 litres that fits a spare room, a garage or a shed. Tabletop tells you where a kiln sits, not what it can fire, and that's the word to be careful with.

Why a £300 tabletop kiln isn't the same thing

Search for a small kiln and the first things you'll see are compact units at £275–£500. They're real kilns and they suit the work they're built for: silver clay, enamel, beads, glass. But the two Google's own answer highlights today stop at 1,150°C and 1,000°C. Earthenware fires in that range. Stoneware needs roughly 1,220–1,280°C, and porcelain a little more.

So if you only ever want to fire earthenware or jewellery, a cheaper kiln may genuinely be enough, and we'd rather you knew that than bought ours. We don't sell those. Everything on this page reaches at least 1,200°C, and nine of the ten reach 1,300°C or more, because we think most people who buy a kiln end up wanting stoneware sooner than they expect.

Every small kiln on this page, compared

Ten kilns. Capacity, supply and maximum temperature come from each kiln's own specification; prices are what you'd pay today.

KilnCapacitySupplyMax tempPriceVerdict
Nabertherm Top 16/R16 L13A plug1,320°C£2,405Smallest
Potterycrafts Mercury 3030 L13A plug1,300°C£2,618Cheapest 30L+
Potterycrafts Aurora 4040 L13A plug1,300°C£2,901Starter
Nabertherm 45L top-loader45 L13A plug1,320°C£2,910Best control
Kilncare Ikon V4646 L13A plug1,315°C£3,299Best value
Kilncare Ikon V61E61 L13A plug1,200°C£3,509Most litres per pound
Kilncare Ikon V61X61 L21.4A hardwired1,315°C£3,669Needs a circuit
Kilncare Ikon V61 GXR61 L13A plug1,300°C£3,819Most asked about
Kilncare Ikon V61 GXR (in stock)61 L13A plug1,300°C£4,199In stock now
Kilncare Artizan 9090 L26A hardwired1,315°C£7,399Not small

Three honest notes on that table. The Ikon V61E tops out at 1,200°C, which covers earthenware and most stoneware but won't take you to high-fire porcelain. The in-stock V61 GXR is £380 more than the identical built-to-order one; the difference buys delivery time and nothing else. And the Artizan 90 isn't small at all. It's here for people who've outgrown 61 litres, it needs a 26A circuit, and if you're setting up in a spare room it's the wrong kiln.

What actually fits inside

Capacity is the number most people get wrong, and nearly always upwards. The Top 16/R's chamber is 290 mm across and 230 mm high: test tiles, small bowls, a few mugs, jewellery. Thirty to 40 litres handles the whole stretch where you're still learning. Around 45 litres takes roughly 20 standard mugs. Sixty-one litres fires a week's work in one go.

A half-empty kiln costs the same to fire as a full one, so buy for the loads you'll have this year. If you're already throwing every weekend, skip the 16-litre and start at 30 or 40; you'll fire half as often.

Power, space and running cost

Check the socket before you choose the kiln. The plug-in kilns here draw up to 13 amps, so give yours a socket of its own, never an extension lead. The Top 16/R draws 2.6 kW, which is why it's cheap to fire; our kiln running-cost calculator works out the cost per firing from your own tariff, with the arithmetic shown.

A garage is usually fine. You need a non-combustible floor, clearance round the kiln and ventilation. A wooden shed is harder, so get an electrician to look before you order. If you'd rather have a bigger kiln and the room for it, our home pottery kilns page covers 30 to 61 litres in more depth, and how to buy a pottery kiln in the UK walks the whole decision.

Delivery, honestly

Most of these kilns are built to order. Kilncare hand-build in Stoke-on-Trent, usually 8–12 weeks; the Top 16/R is typically two weeks when in stock; Potterycrafts run their own queue. A kiln is a heavy kerbside delivery, so tell us about steps, narrow gates or a first-floor room and we'll plan for it. Ring 01202 144142 for the real date on the one you want.

Small kiln questions we get asked most

How small can a pottery kiln be and still fire stoneware?

The smallest kiln we sell that fires stoneware is the 16-litre Nabertherm Top 16/R: £2,405, a 13-amp plug and 1,320°C. Tabletop kilns under £500 exist, but many are built for jewellery, metal clay and glass and stop around 1,000–1,150°C, below the roughly 1,220°C stoneware needs.

What's the difference between a mini kiln, a tabletop kiln and a small kiln?

People use all three for the same thing, so here's how we use them. A mini kiln is one of the three smallest we sell, 16 to 40 litres. A small kiln is anything up to 61 litres that fits a spare room, garage or shed. Tabletop describes where it sits, not how hot it gets.

Can a small kiln run from a normal plug socket?

Eight of the ten kilns on this page come with a UK 13-amp plug and go straight into an ordinary socket. The Ikon V61X needs a 21.4A hardwired circuit and the Artizan 90 needs 26A, so both need an electrician first. Give any plug-in kiln a socket of its own, not an extension lead.

How much does a small pottery kiln cost?

On this page, from £2,405 for the 16-litre Nabertherm Top 16/R to £4,199 for the in-stock Ikon V61 GXR, with the Artizan 90 at £7,399 as the one workshop-sized exception. The plug-in kilns between 30 and 61 litres run £2,618 to £4,199.

Is a 16-litre kiln big enough for pottery?

For test tiles, small bowls, a few mugs and learning to glaze, yes. The Top 16/R's chamber is 290 mm across and 230 mm high, so it won't take a tall vase or a full dinner set. If you already throw regularly, 30 or 40 litres saves you firing twice as often.

How long does a small kiln take to arrive?

It depends on the maker. The Nabertherm Top 16/R is typically two weeks when in stock. Kilncare hand-build to order in Stoke-on-Trent, usually 8–12 weeks, and Potterycrafts run their own build queue. One Ikon V61 GXR on this page is in stock now. Ring us and we'll give you the real date.

Narrow it down

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