Verdict
Coyote glazes are a specialist brand for cone 5 to 6 electric kilns. Coyote states that its glazes "are designed to be fired between witness cone 5 and witness cone 6", and almost everything it makes is aimed at one goal: getting the variegated, gas-fired look in an electric kiln. Its shinos, Archie's series and Texas Two-Step oilspots are the reasons most potters seek the brand out.
The trade-off is that Coyote is a small maker. There is no low-fire line, no cone 10 glaze line, a thin written description for many colors, and fewer published combinations than AMACO or Mayco. If you fire to cone 6 and are happy to test, Coyote is one of the most interesting brands you can buy. If you want plug-and-play results on day one, start elsewhere.
This review is research-based. We compared Coyote's own glaze pages, firing instructions, safety page and dealer list in October 2026; we did not fire these glazes ourselves.
Coyote glazes at a glance
| Item | What Coyote publishes |
|---|---|
| Maker | Coyote Clay & Color, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Firing range | Witness cone 5 to cone 6 (glazes); underglazes cone 5 up to cone 10 |
| Atmosphere | Designed for electric kilns; cone 10 reduction use not published by the maker |
| Range | About 165 glazes on the shop page, in 14 family groups |
| Sizes | Pint, 1 gallon, 3 gallon; dry 5 lb, 10 lb and 25 lb |
| Coats | "Most colors should look their best after 2-3 coats" (brushing); one dip |
| Labeling | Lead free, most cadmium free; ASTM D-4236; dry glazes not labeled non-toxic |
| Food use | Most glazes passed Coyote's leach testing; named exceptions; test your own ware |
The Coyote glaze families
Coyote groups its tiles into families on its gallery page rather than into separately branded lines. The headings it uses are Fantasy, Vibro-Color, Enduro-Color, Constellation, Crystalline Slow-Cool, Shino, Archie's, Frank's Colored Celadon, Matt and Crawl, Satin, Gloss, Mottled, Copper and Iron, and Texas Two-Step Oilspot. All of them sit in the same cone 5 to 6 range, so you can mix families freely in one kiln load.
Archie's glazes
Archie's Base is picked because it is the key to Coyote's most popular advanced series. Coyote calls the Archie's glazes its "most popular line of glazes for advanced users" and says they are challenging to use but reward skill. Archie's Base itself is "a runny but beautiful glaze", pale pink or cream on its own, that pulls other glazes into new patterns when combined with them. Coyote says the series is "strongly affected by slow-cooling".
- Code: MBG034
- Cone: 5 to 6 (Coyote's range for all glazes)
- Behavior: runny; changes the glazes it is layered with
- Fit warning: can shiver on high-expansion clay bodies; Coyote names the affected bodies
- Sizes: pint, 1 and 3 gallon, 5 to 25 lb dry
Pros
- Dramatic interaction with other glazes
- Responds well to slow cooling
- Dry sizes for dipping buckets
Cons
- Runs, so it needs shelf protection
- Shivering risk on some clays
- Not for first-time glazers
Who should skip it: beginners and anyone without a kiln shelf they are willing to risk on test pieces.
Texas Two-Step oilspots
Texas Two-Step is a two-part system that copies the oilspot look of cone 10 glazes at cone 6 in an electric kiln. You brush two or three coats of a Step One undercoat (or dip once), let it dry, then cover all or part of it with a Step Two overcoat. Coyote reports its best results at two coats of Step One and three of Step Two, and says spots get larger and less regular with each extra coat. The Two-Step sample set holds six undercoats and six overcoats in 4 oz jars.
Crystalline Slow-Cool and Constellation
The six Slow-Cool Crystal glazes, such as Ivory Crystal and Crystal Nebula, "should be slow-cooled" to look their best. Coyote says they are less runny than traditional crystal glazes, so no drip tray is needed, but they "do still run". The Constellation series reacts to thickness, firing temperature "and especially cooling speed". For the wider topic, see our crystalline glaze guide.
Celadons, Enduro-Color and the bright families
Frank's Colored Celadons are a set of twelve translucent glazes that Coyote suggests for underglaze designs and detailed work. Enduro-Color is described as "tough, durable glazes for dinnerware and more". Fantasy, Vibro-Color, Satin and Gloss cover brighter colors, including reds and oranges made with inclusion stains. Coyote's Fairy Rose is popular enough to get its own page: Coyote Fairy Rose.
Coyote underglaze
Coyote's underglaze is picked because it is the one Coyote product that goes past cone 6. Coyote says its underglazes "should be fired to at least cone 5 and can go all the way up to cone 10", and that all its liquid underglazes are non-toxic under brushing, pouring and dipping. Its food statement covers the underglaze only "when covered with Coyote Clear glaze and properly fired".
- Cone: 5 to 10
- Colors: 31, per Coyote's underglaze page
- Sizes: 4 oz, pint and gallon
- Food use: under Coyote Clear, properly fired
Pros
- Stays bright from cone 5 to 10
- Pairs with Coyote's own clear
- Non-toxic label for liquid use
Cons
- Not for low fire
- Coyote does not recommend spraying it
Who should skip it: low-fire potters, who should look at our best underglazes list instead.
Coyote shino glaze: the family most people come for
Coyote's plain Shino is picked because it is the glaze the brand is known for. Coyote calls it "the original cone 6 Shino, sold by Coyote since 2002", a rich brown that breaks darker over texture and gives "an awesome gas-fired look in any kiln". The color is sensitive to thickness and breaks brown where thinner. Coyote says its shinos "are not runny", are at their best over texture and work well over other glazes.
Coyote's layering page says its "eighteen Shino colors" can go under or over nearly any Coyote glaze; the shop grid lists 16 glazes with Shino in the name, and Coyote shows extra colors such as Desert Sage and Espresso Bean in the same layering set. Its starting tip is a Shino over any Gloss color. For brushing, Coyote's own demo uses three coats of Black, then two to three coats of the Shino; for dipping, one coat of each. For what shino means and how electric shinos differ from carbon trap shinos, see our shino glaze guide.
- Code: MBG042
- Cone: 6 (Coyote range cone 5 to 6)
- Look: rich brown, darker over texture, brown where thin
- Movement: Coyote says its shinos are not runny
- Storage: keep above 65°F (18°C) or crystals may form in the liquid
- Sizes: pint, 1 and 3 gallon, 5 to 25 lb dry
Pros
- Long track record
- Layers with almost any Coyote color
- Stable on vertical walls per Coyote
Cons
- Earthy palette
- Results shift with thickness, so it needs test tiles
Who should skip it: potters who want a flat, even color with no breaking.
Firing Coyote glazes
Coyote's firing advice is short and specific. On a digital controller, Coyote fires "a cone 5, fast, with 30 minute hold". On a manual kiln with a sitter, it recommends a cone 6. It says the only way to be sure your kiln reaches temperature is witness cones: the tip of a self-supporting cone 5 should bend at least level with its base, and the tip of the cone 6 should not touch the shelf. Our pottery cone chart lists the temperatures behind those cones.
Coyote's slow cool schedule
Coyote says all its glazes can be slow cooled, but you need a kiln with a digital controller to do it (see our kiln controller guide). Its starting schedule, which it says you will need to adjust for your own kiln, is:
| Segment | Rate | Target | Hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100°F per hour | 220°F (104°C) | none |
| 2 | 350°F per hour | 2,000°F (1,093°C) | none |
| 3 | 150°F per hour | 2,200°F (1,204°C) | 15 minutes |
| 4 | 500°F per hour (cooling) | 2,150°F (1,177°C) | 15 minutes |
| 5 | 125°F per hour (cooling) | 1,400°F (760°C) | none |
Kilns get hot on the outside and need the clearance and ventilation the kiln maker specifies. Program schedules only within your kiln's rated temperature, and follow your kiln manual for the controller.
Applying Coyote glazes
Coyote glazes go on bisqueware. For brushing, Coyote prefers a soft 1 inch or 2 inch hake brush, two to three coats, each dry before the next, alternating stroke direction. Leave about 1/4 inch at the foot bare, and keep the bottom clean, or "your pot will stick to the shelf". For dipping, wax the foot about 1/4 inch up, let the wax dry 15 to 20 minutes, then dip with tongs for a count of three. Coyote warns that extra water or deflocculant can make the glaze too thin for one dip, and that glazes "will run more the thicker they get". When overlapping, keep the second glaze to the top half of the pot. Our how to glaze pottery guide covers these methods step by step.
Mixing dry Coyote glaze
Dry Coyote glazes already contain their suspension and brushing agents, so you add only water: about half a gallon for 5 lb, one gallon for 10 lb and two and a half gallons for 25 lb, or the amount on the label. Screen through a 60 mesh sieve. Coyote checks consistency by weighing 500 ml of glaze and matching the target weight for that color. Coyote tells you to wear a respirator and gloves and use ventilation when mixing; for dry powder, use a NIOSH-approved respirator and clean up wet, never by dry sweeping.
Food safety labels on Coyote glazes
Coyote says all its glazes are lead free and most are cadmium free. The glazes that use cadmium inclusion stains (reds, oranges and some pinks, including Butterscotch Shino, Plum Shino and Sunrise Shino) passed FDA cadmium release guidelines in Coyote's testing "when properly fired". Coyote lists a group it does not recommend for food use, because they may change color or texture with food and dishwasher detergent: Blue Matt, Bronze Temmoku, Crystal Aurora, Crystal Celadon, Crystal Nebula, Crystal Lagoon, Green Matt, Green Shino, Iron Matt, Ivory Crystal, Peacock Green, Rose Crystal and Turquoise Matt. The Crawl glazes are also not for food use because of their texture.
Coyote states that it "cannot guarantee that your ware will be safe for food use". Firing temperature, glaze interactions and contamination all change the result, so test your own pots, and use a lab before selling food ware. Our food safe glaze guide explains how. Read the liquid and dry glaze SDS on Coyote's safety page before mixing.
Where to buy Coyote glazes and what they cost
Coyote sells through its own website and through pottery suppliers. Its dealer list shows 66 US distributors in 30 states, including Bailey Pottery, Clay-King, The Ceramic Shop, Sheffield Pottery, Krueger Pottery and Georgie's, plus dealers in Canada, Australia and other countries. Coyote glazes are rarely stocked by general craft chains, so plan on a pottery supplier.
On Coyote's own list in October 2026, pints run from about $13 to $37 depending on color, gallons from about $55 to $220, and 10 lb dry bags from about $60 to $280. Specialty colors such as Cedar Shino sit at the top of every size band. Ten sample sets in 4 oz jars let you try a family before buying pints; check the live price before you order.
What Coyote does well
- Gas-fired looks in an electric kiln: shinos, oilspots and crystals at cone 6.
- Everything fires in one cone 5 to 6 range, so families mix in one load.
- Clear, numeric firing and slow cool advice from the maker.
- A named list of glazes not recommended for food use, which many brands do not publish.
- Dry sizes up to 25 lb for dipping buckets.
Weak points
- No low-fire glazes and no published cone 10 glaze results.
- Many color pages have one or two sentences and no coat guide.
- The "runny glazes" list the instructions page refers to is not printed on that page.
- Small online combination library compared with AMACO's.
- Archie's glazes can shiver on high-expansion clays; Coyote says the only fix is a different clay body. For the opposite fault, see glaze crazing.
Who should buy Coyote glazes
Buy Coyote if you fire an electric kiln to cone 5 or 6, use stoneware or porcelain, and want shino, oilspot or crystal surfaces without a gas kiln. It also suits potters with a digital controller who want to try slow cooling.
Who should skip Coyote
Skip Coyote if you fire to cone 06 to 04, if you fire cone 10 reduction and want proven glaze results there, or if you are brand new and want large color charts and combination photos to follow. Our cone 6 glaze guide compares other mid-fire options.
Alternatives
- AMACO glazes: Potter's Choice and Shino lines at cone 5 to 6 with a huge layering database.
- Mayco glazes: Stoneware line with coat-by-coat guides and low-fire lines too.
- Spectrum glazes: 1100 and 1400 Shino series for cone 5 electric kilns.
Sources: Coyote Clay & Color pages: home, Glaze shop (BuyCone6), Tiles by Family, Glazing & Firing Instructions, Tips & Safety (food safety and SDS links), Shino Layering/Overlaps, Texas Two-Step Oilspots, Slow Cooled Glazes, Dry Glaze Mixing Instructions, Sample Sets, Distributors, and the Shino (MBG042), Butterscotch Shino (MBG086), Archie's Base (MBG034) and Crystal Nebula (MBG164) glaze pages; Ahrefs SERP data for "coyote glazes"; The Ceramic Shop Coyote category. Specs checked October 2026.