A small square test tile of buff stoneware with raised edges forming a shallow well, holding a fired pool of crusted white and charcoal material rimmed in olive green, its surface bubbled and matte.
  • The same test tile seen from the side, its raised clay walls and the depth of the crusted glaze pool now visible.

Barium carbonate is a white, inorganic mineral compound composed of barium, carbon, and oxygen. In ceramic materials, it influences surface behavior and glaze texture, contributing to matte, micro-crystalline finishes commonly associated with barium-based glazes.

Composition

Barium carbonate

Handling Notes

  • Barium Carbonate is highly refined and is used in ceramic and pottery glazes to reduce glaze melting temperatures, prevent crystallization, and create a smooth, uniform surface
  • It produces smooth, matte glaze surfaces; often used to eliminate glaze crawling
  • Use to reduce glaze melting temperatures and prevent crystallization

Applications in Craft

Keywords

Provenance

Del Harrow, Colorado. Acquired 2024.

Sources

  • “Barium,” Ceramic Materials Atlas, n.d., https://ceramicmaterialsatlas.com/barium/; and “Barium Carbonate,” Digitalfire, n.d., https://digitalfire.com/material/barium+carbonate

In Use

Have you used this material?

Please contact Mellanee Goodman, Program Director, Curator, and Materials Specialist, to start a conversation about submitting your work for inclusion on this site.

mgoodman@centerforcraft.org