AMACO glaze layering is why Potter's Choice became so popular: two ordinary glazes, one over the other, can melt into a surface neither makes on its own. This guide explains how layering works, which glaze goes on top, how thick to go and how to stop a run from gluing your pot to the kiln shelf. It also points you to the combinations AMACO itself has published.
It is research-based. We have not fired test tiles, so we do not describe any combination's result. Where we name a combination, the credit belongs to AMACO.
How glaze layering works
Each glaze is a mix of glass formers, fluxes and colorants that melts at a set cone. When you layer two glazes, they melt into each other in the kiln. Where they mix, the chemistry changes, so you can get floats, streaks, breaking color and new hues that neither glaze shows alone.
The top glaze usually moves the most. Gravity pulls it down the pot, so it thins on rims and edges and pools lower down and in texture. That movement is both the appeal and the risk.
AMACO designs Potter's Choice and Potter's Choice Flux with layering in mind. Its PC-17 Honey Flux, for example, is described as a glaze that "increases flow when layered over glazes".
Which glaze goes on top?
As a working rule, put the more fluid glaze on top of the stiffer one. AMACO's published examples follow that pattern: a stiffer base such as a Celadon or an opaque Potter's Choice color, with a flowing or floating glaze over it. AMACO's Complete Guide shows the Potter's Choice over Celadon pairing as two coats of Potter's Choice over three coats of Celadon.
Swapping the order matters. A fluid glaze underneath a stiff one tends to push the whole stack downhill, and the result looks different from the same pair the other way round. When you read an AMACO combination, the first name is the top glaze: "PC-32 Albany Slip Brown over C-20 Cobalt" means Albany Slip Brown is on top.
How to layer AMACO glazes, step by step
- Pick a combination AMACO has published, or two glazes from the same cone range (cone 5 to 6 for Potter's Choice and Celadon).
- Glaze a test tile first, ideally a vertical tile with texture so you can see movement.
- Wax the foot and the bottom of the pot so no glaze sits on the base. See wax resist.
- Brush the base glaze in full coats, about three, letting each dry before the next.
- Brush the top glaze, about two coats, starting at the rim and stopping well above the foot.
- Set the pot on a bisque cookie or catch tray on a kiln-washed shelf.
- Fire to the cone on the jar, then compare the result with your tile and AMACO's example.
Thickness and number of coats
AMACO typically recommends three to four coats when using its brushing glazes on their own. In a layered stack, the base and top glazes together add up to about five coats in AMACO's Potter's Choice over Celadon pattern, which is already thick. More coats mean more glaze to run.
Keep the top glaze thinnest near the bottom of the pot and heaviest near the rim, where gravity will carry it downward. For general advice on coat thickness, see how to glaze pottery.
Drip risk: cookies, catch trays and kiln wash
AMACO's own Seaweed page warns users to "pay attention to application thickness so the glaze does not flow onto kiln shelves during firing". A run that reaches the shelf fuses the pot in place and can ruin the shelf.
- Cookie: a flat disk of bisque clay slightly wider than the pot's foot, set under the pot to catch drips. It is thrown away if glaze reaches it.
- Catch tray: a shallow dish or saucer that holds the whole pot, useful for test tiles and very fluid combinations.
- Kiln wash: a coat on the shelf so drips can be chipped off. See our kiln wash guide.
- Bare foot: leave the lower part of the pot unglazed so the glaze has room to move before it reaches the shelf.
Our page on glaze running covers what to do when a pot does stick.
AMACO's published layering combinations
AMACO runs an online layering database at amaco.com/resources/layering, where combinations are listed by top glaze and base glaze. AMACO's homepage featured these combinations when we checked in October 2026:
- C-50 Cherry Blossom over C-10 Snow
- PC-32 Albany Slip Brown over C-20 Cobalt
- PC-43 Toasted Sage over PC-33 Iron Lustre
- CR-1 Black over PC-68 Golden Honey
We list them by name only. See AMACO's database for how they fire, and test them on your own clay. PC-17 Honey Flux is one of the most used top glazes; see our Honey Flux combinations page.
Is there an AMACO glaze layering chart PDF?
AMACO's printable reference is its Complete Guide to Clay, Glazes and Underglazes, a PDF on amaco.com. It shows each line with icons, including one that marks a glaze as "good for layering", and it shows the Potter's Choice over Celadon coat counts. The combinations themselves live in the online database rather than in one chart. Many potters print their own chart from test tiles.
How to pick the best AMACO glaze combinations for you
Start from a base you already like, then browse combinations that use it. Choose a top glaze in a contrasting value, light over dark or dark over light, so the break is visible. Favor textured forms, since layered glazes pool in recesses. And pick a combination that matches your cone: Potter's Choice and Celadon are cone 5 to 6 glazes.
Layering dry dipping glazes
AMACO's product pages carry the same warning on dry dipping versions: "All dry dipping glazes can be difficult to layer. Dipping glazes behave differently from brushing and they require thorough testing prior to layering full piece." A combination made with brushing pints may not repeat with dipping buckets, so retest when you switch format. AMACO's Dipping & Layering (DL) dry-mix line was designed to be "dipped and layered with ease".
Reading your test tiles
Make tiles that stand upright, with some texture and the top glaze stopping partway down, so you can see the base alone, the overlap and how far the top glaze traveled. Write the glaze codes, coat counts and cone on the back with an underglaze pencil before firing.
After firing, check three things: how far the glaze ran past where you stopped it, whether the surface looks fully melted, and whether the colors match what you wanted. If the glaze ran more than a short distance, stop the top layer higher on the pot or brush one coat fewer. Keep the tiles together as your own layering chart.
Common mistakes
- Layering a fluid glaze to the foot with no cookie under the pot.
- Putting the stiff glaze on top and expecting AMACO's result, which used the opposite order.
- Mixing a low-fire and a mid-fire glaze in one stack.
- Skipping test tiles; AMACO recommends a test for each new batch number.
- Layering inside mugs before testing the combination.
Safety notes
A layered combination is a new glaze, even if both glazes carry AMACO's Food Safe seal on their own. Keep untested combinations on the outside of functional pots, and see our food safe glaze guide. Glaze dust contains silica: wipe spills with a damp sponge, never dry sweep, and wear a NIOSH-approved respirator when mixing dry glaze. See clay dust safety.
What you need
You need two compatible glazes, wax resist, a soft fan brush, bisque cookies or catch trays, and kiln-washed shelves. Start with our Potter's Choice review and AMACO Celadon review for base and top glazes, and see kiln shelves and furniture for shelf protection.
Sources: AMACO homepage layering links and layering database (amaco.com/resources/layering); AMACO Complete Guide to Clay, Glazes and Underglazes (amaco.com); AMACO product pages for PC-17 Honey Flux, PC-23 Indigo Float, PC-42 Seaweed, C-11 Mixing Clear and C-50 Cherry Blossom; AMACO Dipping & Layering line page. Research-based, not hands-on; no test tiles fired. Specs checked October 2026.