A Potter’s Guide to AMACO Glazes: Which Series Is Right for Your Studio?

If you’ve spent any time browsing glaze shelves, you’ve run into AMACO. They’re one of the most established names in ceramics, and for good reason — their lineup covers everything from classroom-safe low-fire glosses to richly textured Cone 5-6 art glazes. With hundreds of colors spread across dozens of series, though, picking the right one can feel overwhelming. Here’s a breakdown to help you choose with confidence.
Potter’s Choice (PC) — For Depth and Movement
If you want glazes that look alive on the shelf, Potter’s Choice is the series most potters reach for first. Designed to bring out reduction-style effects even in an electric kiln, these glazes fire at Cone 5-6 and are known for breaking beautifully over texture. They layer well with each other too, so a single jar of Honey Flux or Blue Midnight can multiply into dozens of looks depending on what you pair it with.
Best for: thrown or hand-built pieces with texture, layering experiments, anyone chasing that “kiln did the work” look.
Velvet Underglazes (V Series) — For Color Control
Velvet underglazes are the workhorse of decorative pottery. Left bare, they have a soft, matte, almost suede-like finish. Covered with a clear glaze, the color intensifies and gets glossy. Because they’re so predictable and easy to layer, they’re a favorite for brushwork, sgraffito, and mishima techniques — and they play nicely at a wide range of cones, even though they’re formulated for low-fire use.
Best for: detailed surface decoration, painters and illustrators working in clay, classroom and studio settings where consistency matters.
Clear Glazes — The Unsung Decision
It’s easy to treat “clear” as an afterthought, but the clear you choose changes how your underglaze colors read. A few worth knowing:
∙ HF-9 Zinc-Free Clear — the safe default when you’re using chromium-based greens, since zinc can shift those toward brown.
∙ HF-10 Clear Transparent — a durable, do-it-all clear for Cone 5-10, though its zinc content means it pairs better with reds and yellows than greens.
∙ DL-10 Gloss Clear — ships dry, mixes with water, and is built for quick, even dipping.
Testing your clear against your specific underglaze palette before committing to a big piece will save you a lot of disappointment after firing.
Low-Fire Gloss (LG Series) — Reliable and Classroom-Friendly
For Cone 05 work, the LG series delivers bright, glossy color with minimal fuss. Several of these — including LG-57, LG-58, and LG-63 — carry the AP non-toxic seal, making them a smart pick for school and youth programs where safety documentation matters as much as the finished piece.
Shino Glazes — Earthy, Variable, and a Little Bit Magic
Shinos are for potters who like a bit of unpredictability built into the process. They tend to shift between matte and satiny depending on application thickness and kiln atmosphere, and they often break to darker tones at edges and texture — giving each piece a one-of-a-kind quality.
A Quick Note on Lead Safety
All current AMACO glazes are evaluated for safety and labeled according to ASTM D-4236 standards, and the company’s clear glazes in particular are formulated to be food-safe and lead-free. That said, mixing or layering glazes — even lead-free ones — can change the chemistry enough to affect dinnerware safety, so it’s worth testing combinations rather than assuming.
Bringing It Together
Most studios end up with a working set that spans a few of these series: a couple of Potter’s Choice glazes for statement pieces, a reliable Velvet underglaze palette for detail work, and a dependable clear or two to tie it all together. If you’re just getting started, that’s a good place to aim before branching into specialty lines like Shino or the newer Cosmos series.
Have a glaze combination that’s become your studio’s signature look? We’d love to feature it — drop us a note and tell us what you’re firing.