What is a shino glaze?
Shino is a family of glazes that began on tea ceremony wares in Japan. Ceramic Materials Workshop ties shinos most closely to the Momoyama period (1568 to 1600), when potters in the Mino region made thick white glazed tea bowls. One theory links the name to "shiro" (white); another to the monk Shino Shoshin.
The original recipe was simple. Digitalfire describes it as about 70 to 80 percent high-alumina, high-sodium feldspar and 20 to 30 percent clay, applied to stoneware and wood fired in reduction. Applied thick, it fired pearly white; applied thin, it went red or orange. Japanese shinos stayed mostly white, while many Western shinos lean tan, gold and brown.
Today the word covers three different things: traditional reduction shinos fired in gas or wood kilns, carbon trap shinos built to catch soot, and commercial "shino" glazes made to imitate the look in an electric kiln. Knowing which one you are buying saves a lot of disappointment.
What makes a shino different from other glazes
- Very high alumina, little silica. Ceramic Materials Workshop puts shinos in the matte region of glaze charts, with alumina far above a normal glossy glaze. That stiffness is why shinos stay put instead of running.
- Sodium fluxes. Shinos melt mainly with sodium (sometimes lithium), usually from nepheline syenite or soda feldspar, and sometimes soda ash.
- Iron does the coloring. Small amounts of iron from the clay or the glaze give the orange flashing. Digitalfire notes orange where the glaze is thin and cream where it is thick.
- Clay body matters. An iron-bearing stoneware gives warmer flashing than a white porcelain.
If you want to know what nepheline syenite and soda ash are, our glaze materials guide covers both.
Carbon trap shinos
Carbon trapping is the gray to black smoky patterning that many potters picture when they hear "shino". It needs a fuel-burning kiln. Ceramic Arts Network explains that soot forms when the kiln is starved of air around 1,600°F (870°C), and the kiln must stay in reduction from that point until the glaze melts enough to seal the carbon in. Any oxidation before then burns the soot away.
Soda ash is what makes this work. It is soluble, so it migrates to the glaze surface as the glaze dries and leaves salt crystals there. A Ceramics Monthly firing log describes soot production starting as cone 013 bends, about 1,560°F (849°C), close to where soda ash softens, followed by 45 to 60 minutes of heavy reduction. Shinos with little soda ash trap little carbon; high-soda shinos can turn almost black. The same article notes most of these shinos are formulated for cone 9 to 10.
Reduction shinos vs electric-kiln shinos
An electric kiln fires in oxidation: there is no flame to starve of air, so there is no soot and no carbon trapping. Traditional shino color also depends on reduction changing the iron, and on long, slow firing and cooling. That is why an electric shino is a different glaze, not the same recipe fired somewhere else. Our gas kiln vs electric kiln page covers what an electric kiln can and cannot do, and reduction firing explains the atmosphere itself.
Commercial electric shinos imitate the look in other ways: iron-rich colorants, a glaze that changes strongly with thickness, and breaking over texture. AMACO describes its own line as giving a "heavy iron reduction look in oxidation". Coyote says its shinos "emulate the look of a gas fired shino when fired in an electric kiln". Expect warm flashing and breaking, not true trapped carbon.
| Type | Kiln | Typical cone | Look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional reduction shino | Gas or wood | 9 to 10 | Pearly white breaking orange |
| Carbon trap shino | Gas or wood, early reduction | 9 to 10 | Orange with gray to black soot patterns |
| Electric-kiln shino (AMACO, Coyote, Mayco, Spectrum) | Electric | 5 to 6 | Iron colors that vary with thickness and texture |
AMACO Shino glazes: verdict
AMACO's Shino line is the easiest way for a home potter with an electric kiln to get a shino-style surface. AMACO says the glazes are "influenced by the humble earthiness of tea ceremony bowls", give "a traditional high-iron look", are blendable for more gloss or more matte, layer with Potter's Choice, and are food safe. The weak points: pints only, no published coat count for single use, and several colors showed out of stock on AMACO's shop in October 2026. This section is research-based, built from AMACO's line and product pages; we did not fire these glazes ourselves.
| Item | AMACO's figure |
|---|---|
| Cone | Cone 5, 2,201°F at 270°F per hour in the last 200°F (1,184°C at 150°C per hour in the last 100°C); dealers list cone 5/6 |
| Atmosphere | Oxidation (electric kiln) |
| Colors | 12: six colors, each in gloss and matte |
| Finish control | Gloss and matte versions are 100% mixable |
| Size | Pint (no dry size listed) |
| Labels | AP Non-Toxic seal; food-safe icon |
| Price band | About $20 to $25 a pint in October 2026 |
The 12 AMACO Shino colors
| Gloss | Matte | AMACO's description |
|---|---|---|
| SH-11 Chai Gloss | SH-12 Chai Matte | Cream, orange and brown |
| SH-21 Acai Gloss | SH-22 Acai Matte | Blue and brown |
| SH-31 Cacao Gloss | SH-32 Cacao Matte | Brown and tan |
| SH-41 Oolong Gloss | SH-42 Oolong Matte | Mint green and brown |
| SH-45 Matcha Gloss | SH-46 Matcha Matte | Green and brown |
| SH-51 Hibiscus Gloss | SH-52 Hibiscus Matte | Salmon pink, orange and brown |
Every description ends the same way: the shades vary "depending on the thickness of application". That is the shino behavior AMACO is copying.
SH-12 Chai Matte
Chai Matte is picked because its cream, orange and brown range is the closest in the line to a traditional Western shino. AMACO calls it a matte, 100% mixable mid-fire glaze. It is also the base AMACO uses in published layering brochures, such as Potter's Choice glazes over SH-12, so there are tested combinations to start from.
- Cone: 5 to 6
- Finish: matte; mix with SH-11 Chai Gloss for more shine
- Size: pint
- Labels: AP seal; food-safe icon
Pros
- Classic shino palette
- AMACO layering brochures use it
- In stock at AMACO when checked
Cons
- Color depends on thickness, so tests are needed
- Pints only
Who should skip it: potters who want a cool palette, or a solid, even color.
SH-46 Matcha Matte
Matcha Matte is picked because it is AMACO's demo glaze for shino application: its "Testing AMACO Shino Glazes" tutorial uses SH-46 on No. 58 Warm Brown Stoneware with a fan brush. AMACO describes varied shades of green and brown. A darker clay pushes it toward the brown end.
- Cone: 5 to 6
- Finish: matte; SH-45 Matcha Gloss is the glossy partner
- Size: pint
- Labels: AP seal; food-safe icon
Pros
- Green shino is rare
- AMACO tutorial shows application
- Works on brown stoneware
Cons
- No single-use coat count published
- Matte surface marks more easily than gloss
Who should skip it: anyone after the classic orange shino look; choose Chai instead.
How to use AMACO Shinos
- Pick your clay first. AMACO says the line suits red or white clay; iron in the body warms the flashing.
- Make test tiles with texture, from your own clay, as AMACO advises. Label the backs.
- Brush with a soft fan brush. AMACO publishes no single-use coat count; its layering tiles use three coats of each glaze at cone 6, so test one, two and three coats side by side.
- Use gloss and matte of the same color together, or mix them, to tune the surface.
- Fire to cone 5 to 6 with witness cones, and keep the foot clean. Our glaze firing guide covers schedules and loading.
AMACO shinos layer with Potter's Choice in both directions. Our AMACO glaze layering page covers order and coat counts, and Potter's Choice glazes covers that line.
Other shinos for electric kilns
Coyote Shino glazes
Coyote's plain Shino is picked because Coyote has sold it as a cone 6 shino since 2002. Coyote describes a rich brown that breaks darker over texture and brown where thin. Its layering page says its eighteen shino colors go over or under nearly any Coyote glaze, and that its shinos are not runny. More in our Coyote glazes review.
- Code: MBG042
- Cone: 5 to 6
- Sizes: pint, gallons, 5 to 25 lb dry
Pros
- Large shino family
- Dry sizes for dipping
- Stable per Coyote
Cons
- Mostly sold through pottery dealers
- Short color descriptions
Who should skip it: potters who want AMACO's published layering photos to copy.
Mayco SW-122 Maycoshino
Maycoshino is picked for its coat-by-coat guide: Mayco shows a reddish brown at one coat, cream to tan breaking brown at two, and waves of cream at three, with gray brown at cone 10 reduction. It comes in pints and 10 lb dry. See our Mayco Stoneware glazes review.
- Cone: 6, with cone 10 results shown
- Sizes: SW-122 pint; SD-122 10 lb dry
Pros
- Predictable results by coat count
- Dry option
Cons
- One color only, earthy palette
Who should skip it: potters who want a range of shino colors from one maker.
Spectrum also makes a 1400 Shino series for cone 5 electric kilns; see our Spectrum glazes review.
Common shino problems
- Crawling. High clay and feldspar content make shinos shrink as they dry, so thick coats can pull back in firing. Digitalfire suggests calcining part of the clay in your own recipes; with commercial jars, apply thinner coats on clean, dust-free bisque. See glaze crawling.
- Pinholing. Digitalfire links it to coarse bodies and thick application; a hotter bisque can help.
- Crazing. High sodium gives high expansion, which Digitalfire calls the hardest shino problem to solve.
- Flat color. Too even an application on smooth clay hides the breaking. Add texture or vary thickness on purpose.
Food safety
AMACO lists its Shinos as food safe, Mayco labels Maycoshino dinnerware safe, and Coyote names Green Shino as the one shino in its range not recommended for food use. Those labels assume the glaze is fired to the stated cone on a suitable clay. They do not cover your layering, thickness or kiln, so test finished ware; dealers repeat AMACO's warning that "tableware producers must test all finished ware". Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator when mixing dry glaze and wet-clean dust.
What AMACO Shinos do well
- A shino-style, iron-rich surface in an ordinary electric kiln.
- Gloss and matte of each color, fully mixable.
- Food-safe and AP labels from AMACO.
- AMACO layering brochures with Potter's Choice to start from.
Weak points
- Not a true carbon trap shino; no soot patterns.
- Pints only, and stock was patchy on AMACO's shop in October 2026.
- No published single-use coat count.
Who should buy AMACO Shinos, and who should skip them
Buy them if you fire an electric kiln to cone 5 or 6 and want warm, varied, tea-bowl style surfaces with a food-safe label. Skip them if you fire gas reduction and want real carbon trapping (mix or buy a reduction shino and see cone 10 glazes), or if you want bright, even color.
What you need
Shinos need a kiln that reaches cone 6 with witness cones, test tiles and a soft fan brush. If you are still choosing a kiln, start with our best kilns for home pottery.
Sources: AMACO Shino line page (amaco.com) and AMACO shop pages for SH-11, SH-12, SH-22, SH-32, SH-41, SH-46 and SH-51, plus AMACO search listings for SH-21, SH-31, SH-42, SH-45 and SH-52; AMACO tutorial "Testing AMACO Shino Glazes"; Krueger Pottery SH-52 listing; Clay-King AMACO Shino Class Pack listing; Ceramic Materials Workshop, "Shino Glazes: What they are and why they are so special"; Digitalfire glossary "Shino Glazes"; Ceramic Arts Network, "Carbon Trapping Explained" and Ceramics Monthly "Techno File: Carbon Trapping"; Coyote Clay & Color Shino and Shino Layering pages; Mayco SW-122 Maycoshino page; Ahrefs SERP data for "shino glaze". Specs checked October 2026.