Kiln Cone Chart & Temperature Converter

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Cone to temperature Temperature to cone

Cone

Heating rate over the last 100 °C (180 °F)

15 °C/h27 °F/h · slow 60 °C/h108 °F/h · medium 150 °C/h270 °F/h · fast

The rate your kiln climbs at near the top of the firing. Not sure? Medium suits most programmed firings.

Result

Cone 6 · self-supporting · 60 °C/h (108 °F/h)

1222 °C2232 °F

Large cone 1220 °C (2228 °F) · Small cone 1255 °C (2291 °F) at 300 °C/h

Drawing of Orton's three-cone set at the end of a firing to cone 6: the guide cone is over, the firing cone's tip is level with its base, the guard cone is still nearly upright.

Cone 6 on Orton's chart
Heating rate, last 100 °C	15 °C/h 27 °F/h	60 °C/h 108 °F/h	150 °C/h 270 °F/h
Self-supporting cones	1185 °C 2165 °F	1222 °C 2232 °F	1243 °C 2269 °F
Large cones	not listed	1220 °C 2228 °F	1241 °C 2266 °F
Small cones	1255 °C (2291 °F) at 300 °C/h, gas kiln

Where this sits among clay and glaze ranges

Cone 022 to 011: Overglaze colours, enamels, lustres, glass fusing and slumping (Orton)
Cone 010 to 3: Craft bodies, wall tile, glazes, earthenware (Orton)
Cone 4 to 12: Porcelain, china, stoneware, floor tile, structural clay (Orton)
Cone 010 to 04: Earthenware (low fire) (Digitalfire)
Cone 4 to 7: Medium temperature (mid-range) (Digitalfire)

How to read a cone chart

Pyrometric cones measure heat-work, the combined effect of temperature and time, not temperature alone. That is why each cone has several temperatures: in a slow firing the cone, like your ware, soaks up heat for longer and bends cooler; in a fast one it needs more heat. Read the column for how fast your kiln climbs over the last 100 °C.

Self-supporting cones stand at the right angle on their own base, so they are the easiest to set and read. Large cones go in a plaque; small cones go in a kiln-sitter, and the chart lists them at 300 °C/h only.
Not sure of your rate? Orton's rule of thumb: divide 100 °C by the hours your ware spends in the top 100 °C, holds included. The firing schedule builder does this for you.
Use three cones. Orton's set is a guide cone one number cooler, the firing cone, and a guard cone one hotter. A cone counts as fired when its tip comes level with its base.
Holds add heat-work. As a guide from Orton, firing 10 °C (18 °F) lower needs about 20 minutes of hold to give the same heat.

Orton cone chart, cones 022 to 12

Orton's own figures for each cone, kind of cone and heating rate (°C/h or °F/h over the last 100 °C or 180 °F). Blank cells are not listed on the chart.

Orton temperature equivalents, °C
Cone	Self-supporting			Large		Small
Cone	15 °C/h	60 °C/h	150 °C/h	60 °C/h	150 °C/h	300 °C/h
022	not listed	586	590	not listed	not listed	630
021	not listed	600	617	not listed	not listed	643
020	not listed	626	638	not listed	not listed	666
019	656	678	695	676	693	723
018	686	715	734	712	732	752
017	705	738	763	736	761	784
016	742	772	796	769	794	825
015	750	791	818	788	816	843
014	757	807	838	807	836	870
013	807	837	861	837	859	880
012	843	861	882	858	880	900
011	857	875	894	873	892	915
010	891	903	915	898	913	919
09	907	920	930	917	928	955
08	922	942	956	942	954	983
07	962	976	987	973	985	1008
06	981	998	1013	995	1011	1023
05½	1004	1015	1025	1012	1023	1043
05	1021	1031	1044	1030	1046	1062
04	1046	1063	1077	1060	1070	1098
03	1071	1086	1104	1086	1101	1131
02	1078	1102	1122	1101	1120	1148
01	1093	1119	1138	1117	1137	1178
1	1109	1137	1154	1136	1154	1184
2	1112	1142	1164	1142	1162	1190
3	1115	1152	1170	1152	1168	1196
4	1141	1162	1183	1160	1181	1209
5	1159	1186	1207	1184	1205	1221
5½	1167	1203	1225	not listed	not listed	not listed
6	1185	1222	1243	1220	1241	1255
7	1201	1239	1257	1237	1255	1264
8	1211	1249	1271	1247	1269	1300
9	1224	1260	1280	1257	1278	1317
10	1251	1285	1305	1282	1303	1330
11	1272	1294	1315	1293	1312	1336
12	1285	1306	1326	1304	1324	1355

Orton temperature equivalents, °F
Cone	Self-supporting			Large		Small
Cone	27 °F/h	108 °F/h	270 °F/h	108 °F/h	270 °F/h	540 °F/h
022	not listed	1087	1094	not listed	not listed	1166
021	not listed	1112	1143	not listed	not listed	1189
020	not listed	1159	1180	not listed	not listed	1231
019	1213	1252	1283	1249	1279	1333
018	1267	1319	1353	1314	1350	1386
017	1301	1360	1405	1357	1402	1443
016	1368	1422	1465	1416	1461	1517
015	1382	1456	1504	1450	1501	1549
014	1395	1485	1540	1485	1537	1598
013	1485	1539	1582	1539	1578	1616
012	1549	1582	1620	1576	1616	1652
011	1575	1607	1641	1603	1638	1679
010	1636	1657	1679	1648	1675	1686
09	1665	1688	1706	1683	1702	1751
08	1692	1728	1753	1728	1749	1801
07	1764	1789	1809	1783	1805	1846
06	1798	1828	1855	1823	1852	1873
05½	1839	1859	1877	1854	1873	1909
05	1870	1888	1911	1886	1915	1944
04	1915	1945	1971	1940	1958	2008
03	1960	1987	2019	1987	2014	2068
02	1972	2016	2052	2014	2048	2098
01	1999	2046	2080	2043	2079	2152
1	2028	2079	2109	2077	2109	2163
2	2034	2088	2127	2088	2124	2174
3	2039	2106	2138	2106	2134	2185
4	2086	2124	2161	2120	2158	2208
5	2118	2167	2205	2163	2201	2230
5½	2133	2197	2237	not listed	not listed	not listed
6	2165	2232	2269	2228	2266	2291
7	2194	2262	2295	2259	2291	2307
8	2212	2280	2320	2277	2316	2372
9	2235	2300	2336	2295	2332	2403
10	2284	2345	2381	2340	2377	2426
11	2322	2361	2399	2359	2394	2437
12	2345	2383	2419	2379	2415	2471

Sources

Every cone temperature: Orton Ceramic Foundation, Orton Pyrometric Cones: Temperature Equivalents, Cone Numbers 022-12 (°C and °F), the “New Cone Chart” linked from ortonceramic.com/pyrometric-cones; file dated March 2026, checked 2 November 2026. Its key gives the applications for cones 022 to 011, 010 to 3 and 4 to 12.
Heat-work and the 27, 108 and 270 °F/h columns: Orton, Pyrometric Cones FAQ. The effective heating rate rule of thumb: Orton, Pyrometric Cones Resources.
The three-cone system, the end point (tip level with the base), the hold guide and small cones in the Kiln-Sitter: Orton, Cones and Firing: a practical guide to successful firings (booklet, 2013).
Ranges: Digitalfire, Medium Temperature (cone 4 to 7), Earthenware (cone 010 to 04), Stoneware (about 1200 °C and up) and Porcelain (usually above 1180 °C). Self-supporting cones sit at the right angle by themselves: Digitalfire, Pyrometric Cone.

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Questions

What temperature is cone 6?

On Orton's chart a self-supporting cone 6 bends at 1222 °C (2232 °F) when the kiln climbs 60 °C an hour over the last 100 °C. At 15 °C an hour it bends at 1185 °C (2165 °F), and at 150 °C an hour at 1243 °C (2269 °F).

What temperature is cone 04 for a bisque firing?

A self-supporting cone 04 is 1063 °C (1945 °F) at 60 °C an hour, 1046 °C (1915 °F) at 15 °C an hour and 1077 °C (1971 °F) at 150 °C an hour.

Which cones are mid-range, earthenware and stoneware?

Digitalfire calls cone 4 to 7 medium temperature, or mid-range, and cone 010 to 04 earthenware. Orton's chart lists cones 4 to 12 for porcelain, china and stoneware. Your clay's maker gives the cone for each clay body.

Why does the chart stop at cone 12?

Orton's current chart covers cones 022 to 12, so this converter does too, rather than mixing in figures from older charts. Hotter cones are used mainly for industrial firings.

Kiln cone chart and temperature converter

Result

How to read a cone chart

Orton cone chart, cones 022 to 12

Sources

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