Mason stains for pottery are fired, ground ceramic pigments made by Mason Color Works in Ohio. Potters add them to a clear or white base glaze, to slip and engobe, or wedge them into clay. Start with a few stable workhorses (6600 Best Black, 6339 Royal, 6450 Praseodymium, 6700 White), add one chrome-tin pink if your glaze suits it, and read Mason's reference notes before you buy, because some colors fail in glazes that contain zinc or too little calcium. Mason's body stains page says 5 to 7% in a clay body, under a high gloss glaze, gives very vibrant hues.
This guide is research-based. We compared Mason Color's reference guide, FAQ and body stain pages with US dealer listings and published mixing guides. We did not mix or fire the stains ourselves. Specs checked October 2026.
Mason stain picks at a glance
- Best black: 6600 Best Black (works with or without zinc, Mason lists it for body stain use)
- Best blue: 6339 Royal (cobalt blue, with or without zinc)
- Best yellow: 6450 Praseodymium (stable yellow, with or without zinc)
- Best pink for glazes: 6000 Shell Pink (chrome-tin pink: no zinc, high calcium)
- Best red: 6021 Dark Red (inclusion stain that contains cadmium; test for food use)
- Best pink for clay bodies: 6020 Manganese Alumina Pink (on Mason's body stain list)
- Best for pastels and tints: 6700 White (zirconium white, with or without zinc)
Mason stain comparison table
| Stain | Color | Elements (Mason) | Zinc rule (Mason) | Max temp (Mason) | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6600 Best Black | Black | Co, Cr, Fe, Ni | With or without | 2,300°F (1,260°C) | Check price |
| 6339 Royal | Blue | Al, Co, Zn | With or without | 2,300°F (1,260°C) | Check price |
| 6450 Praseodymium | Yellow | Pr, Si, Zr | With or without | 2,300°F (1,260°C) | Check price |
| 6000 Shell Pink | Pink | Ca, Cr, Si, Sn | No zinc; 12 to 15% whiting | 2,300°F (1,260°C) | Check price |
| 6021 Dark Red | Red | Cd, Si, Zr, Se | With or without | 2,300°F (1,260°C) | Check price |
| 6020 Mn Al Pink | Pink (body) | Not marked in the guide | Not published by the maker | Not published by the maker | Check price |
| 6700 White | White | Al, Si, Zr | With or without | 2,300°F (1,260°C) | Check price |
The element letters come from Mason's reference guide key (Co cobalt, Cr chromium, Fe iron, Ni nickel, Zn zinc, Pr praseodymium, Zr zirconium, Sn tin, Ca calcium, Cd cadmium, Se selenium). Mason says firing temperatures are only a rough guide, because a slow cycle at 2,200°F can mature like a fast one at 2,300°F, and atmosphere and cooling also change color.
1. 6600 Best Black: best black stain
Almost every studio keeps a bag of 6600. It is a cobalt, chrome, iron and nickel black that Mason marks with notes 1, 3 and 6 in its reference guide: usable as a body stain in porcelain, a maximum firing limit of 2,300°F (1,260°C), and fine with or without zinc in the glaze. That combination makes it one of the least fussy stains in the catalog, so it works in most clear or white bases at cone 6 and in black clay or black slip for sgraffito.
The Ceramic Shop suggests about 6% for black in a glaze, and Digitalfire's notes on 6600 also show about 6% in glazes and 10 to 15% in engobes. One thing not to do: Mason's FAQ advises against adding a pinch of black stain to make gray, because the result often shows the dominant oxide. Mason recommends its gray stains for grays instead. Black stains are strong and contain nickel and cobalt, so dust control matters more here than with pale colors.
- Elements: cobalt, chromium, iron, nickel
- Zinc: with or without (note 6)
- Max temperature: 2,300°F (1,260°C)
- Typical use: about 6% in glaze (The Ceramic Shop, Digitalfire)
- Price band: roughly $7 to $12 per quarter pound at US dealers in October 2026; check the live price
Pros
- Very tolerant of glaze chemistry
- Strong, so a little goes far
- Good in clay, slip and glaze
Cons
- Not a route to gray
- Contains nickel and cobalt, so handle with care
Who should skip it: Potters after a soft charcoal gray; buy a Mason gray stain instead.
2. 6339 Royal: best blue stain
6339 Royal is a cobalt aluminate blue with zinc listed in its makeup. Mason gives it notes 1, 3 and 6: body stain use in porcelain, a 2,300°F (1,260°C) limit, and with or without zinc in the glaze. It gives a strong, clean blue in clear glazes and is a common choice for blue clay in colored-clay work.
Blues are strong colorants, so they need less stain than most colors. The Ceramic Shop suggests 2 to 5% for dark blues and about 10% for light blues in a glaze. Mason's FAQ has a useful note for underglaze painters: if a blue line goes fuzzy and runs into the glaze, cobalt silicate stains are very soluble in glaze, and a cobalt aluminate blue or a blend holds a sharper line. Too high a temperature can cause the same blur. A light blue is also often made by cutting a strong blue with 6700 White in a slip or underglaze.
- Elements: aluminum, cobalt, zinc
- Zinc: with or without (note 6)
- Max temperature: 2,300°F (1,260°C)
- Typical use: 2 to 5% for dark blue in glaze (The Ceramic Shop)
- Price band: roughly $10 to $20 per quarter pound in October 2026; check the live price
Pros
- Strong color at low percentages
- Tolerant of zinc
- Works in clay bodies
Cons
- Cobalt makes it pricier than iron colors
- Powder needs careful dust control
Who should skip it: Potters wanting a turquoise or teal; that is a different stain family.
3. 6450 Praseodymium: best yellow stain
6450 is Mason's praseodymium yellow, a zircon-based stain (praseodymium, silica, zirconium) with notes 3 and 6: a 2,300°F (1,260°C) limit and fine with or without zinc. Mason's archived formulas page shows that an older praseodymium yellow, 6433, was replaced with 6450, which tells you this is the number Mason now points potters to for a clean, bright lemon yellow.
Zircon yellows are mild colorants, so expect to use more of them than blue or black. The Ceramic Shop gives about 10% for yellows in a glaze. Because zircon also opacifies, a high dose can make a clear glaze cloudy, and Mason's FAQ notes that an opacifier above about 2% can turn a glaze milky. If you want a transparent yellow, test lower amounts first. Yellow also mixes with blue stains for greens in slips and bodies, which is often more predictable than a chrome green.
- Elements: praseodymium, silica, zirconium
- Zinc: with or without (note 6)
- Max temperature: 2,300°F (1,260°C)
- Typical use: about 10% in glaze (The Ceramic Shop)
- Price band: roughly $10 to $20 per quarter pound in October 2026; check the live price
Pros
- Stable, clean yellow
- Tolerant of zinc
- Mixes well for greens
Cons
- Needs a high percentage
- Can cloud a transparent glaze
Who should skip it: Anyone after a deep orange or golden yellow; those come from inclusion stains.
4. 6000 Shell Pink: best pink for glazes
6000 Shell Pink is a chrome-tin pink, and it is the stain where Mason's rules matter most. Its reference notes are 3, 5 and 9: a 2,300°F (1,260°C) limit, no zinc in the glaze, and a glaze that contains 6.7 to 8.4% calcium oxide, which Mason equates to 12 to 15% calcium carbonate (whiting). Mason's FAQ adds that chrome-tin pinks and crimsons (6000 to 6006) are stable from cone 06 to cone 12, but need high calcium, low to zero zinc and magnesia, boron that is not too high, and an oxidizing atmosphere throughout the firing.
In a glaze that meets those rules, Shell Pink gives a soft, reliable pink. In a typical zinc-bearing commercial clear it can turn muddy or brown. That makes it a good choice if you mix your own base glaze, or if you buy a zinc-free clear: see our guide to zinc-free clear glaze. Mason's FAQ also notes that a purple or lilac turning blue usually means too little calcium, a clue that applies to the related 6385 Pansy Purple.
- Elements: calcium, chromium, silica, tin
- Zinc: do not use zinc in the glaze (note 5)
- Calcium: 12 to 15% calcium carbonate in the glaze (note 9)
- Typical use: about 10% for the crimson series (The Ceramic Shop)
- Price band: roughly $12 to $25 per quarter pound in October 2026; check the live price
Pros
- Soft, classic pink
- Wide stable range from cone 06 to 12 per Mason
Cons
- Strict glaze chemistry
- Fails in zinc glazes and in reduction
Who should skip it: Potters using only commercial clears with zinc, or firing in reduction.
5. 6021 Dark Red: best red stain
True reds in ceramics come from inclusion (encapsulated) stains, where cadmium and selenium color is sealed inside zircon. 6021 Dark Red is one of them: Mason's guide lists cadmium, silica, zirconium and selenium, with notes 1, 3 and 6 (body stain use, a 2,300°F or 1,260°C limit, and zinc optional). It lets you make a red glaze at cone 6 that raw oxides cannot give.
It needs care. Digitalfire's notes on 6021 report bubbling and pebbling at 11% in a cone 6 glaze, and suggest lowering the amount or adding a little zircon opacifier. The Ceramic Shop suggests about 8% for the encapsulated series. Because the stain contains cadmium, Digitalfire says food-surface use calls for proper leach testing. We would keep it to outside surfaces and decorative work unless your glaze has been lab tested. Mason's FAQ describes encapsulated pigments as safe, but still asks you to keep handling as dust-free as possible.
- Elements: cadmium, silica, zirconium, selenium
- Zinc: with or without (note 6)
- Max temperature: 2,300°F (1,260°C)
- Typical use: about 8% for the encapsulated series (The Ceramic Shop)
- Price band: roughly $15 to $30 per quarter pound in October 2026, among the priciest stains; check the live price
Pros
- A true red at mid-fire
- Tolerant of zinc
Cons
- Contains cadmium
- Can bubble in glazes
- Expensive
Who should skip it: Anyone wanting red on food surfaces without leach testing, or on a tight budget.
6. 6020 Manganese Alumina Pink: best pink for clay bodies
For pink clay, as opposed to pink glaze, look at Mason's body stain list. 6020 Manganese Alumina Pink is the first stain on it, alongside browns, a sea green, a mazerine blue, lavender and yellows. Mason's body stains page says stains can be added to body formulas for uses such as dolls and tinted whiteware, and that at 5 to 7% under a high gloss glaze the body can show very vibrant hues.
Mason's reference table does not mark the elements or reference notes for 6020, so its zinc behavior and temperature limit are not published by the maker on the pages we checked. It is also one of the cheaper stains at US dealers. Because it contains manganese, it deserves extra dust care: never sand dry pink greenware, and clean up wet. Pink porcelain and stoneware are popular in colored-clay work, and our nerikomi guide covers how to wedge stains into clay and avoid cracks between colors.
- Use: body stain (Mason body stain list)
- Elements: not marked in Mason's reference table
- Typical use: 5 to 7% in a body for vivid color (Mason)
- Max temperature: not published by the maker
- Price band: roughly $6 to $12 for the smallest size in October 2026; check the live price
Pros
- Listed by Mason for bodies
- Low cost
- Good for pastel and pink clay
Cons
- Limited published data
- Manganese dust needs care
Who should skip it: Potters who want pink in a glaze; Shell Pink is the glaze choice.
7. 6700 White: best for pastels and tints
A white stain sounds odd, but it earns a place. 6700 is an aluminum, silica and zirconium white with notes 3 and 6: a 2,300°F (1,260°C) limit and fine with or without zinc. Potters use it to whiten a slip or engobe on darker clay, to brighten a light-colored body, and to cut strong stains down to pastels without changing the base recipe.
It is also a quiet fix for gray work. Rather than adding a pinch of black to white, which Mason's FAQ warns often looks off, use a Mason gray, or tint white slip with a measured amount of a dark stain and test it. Since 6700 behaves like an opacifier, keep in mind Mason's note that more than about 2% opacifier can turn a clear glaze milky. In glaze work that is sometimes the goal, for a soft satin pastel, and sometimes the problem.
- Elements: aluminum, silica, zirconium
- Zinc: with or without (note 6)
- Max temperature: 2,300°F (1,260°C)
- Best use: white and pastel slips, engobes and bodies
- Price band: roughly $7 to $14 per quarter pound in October 2026; check the live price
Pros
- Makes pastels from strong stains
- Tolerant of zinc
- Useful in slip on red clay
Cons
- Clouds clear glazes
- Not as white as a pure zircon opacifier for some uses
Who should skip it: Potters who already stock zircon opacifier and only work in glaze.
How much Mason stain to use
Mason does not print one glaze percentage on the pages we checked. It publishes a body stain figure and glaze chemistry rules, and offers body, glaze and engobe formulas on request. Dealers and teachers fill the gap, and their figures differ because they measure against different things.
| Source | Where | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason Color, body stains page | Clay body | 5 to 7% | For very vibrant hues under a high gloss glaze |
| Seattle Pottery Supply | Glaze | 4 to 5% by weight | 4 to 5 g stain per 100 g base glaze, then sieve |
| The Ceramic Shop | Glaze | 2 to 10% by color series | Black 6%, brown 5%, dark blue 2 to 5%, crimson 10%, encapsulated 8%, yellow 10% |
| Studio Alden | Clay body | 1 to 10% of dry clay weight | Depends on how strong you want the color |
| Digitalfire (6600 notes) | Glaze and engobe | About 6% glaze, 10 to 15% engobe | Keep amounts in bodies modest |
In glaze
Weigh the dry base glaze, add stain as a percentage of that dry weight, mix with water and sieve twice so specks do not show. Start at 5% for most colors and adjust by test tile. Weaker zircon colors such as yellow and white need more; cobalt blues and blacks need less.
In slip and engobe
Colored slip takes more stain than glaze, often 10 to 15% in published examples, because the color sits in an opaque clay layer. The Ceramic Shop suggests a little dry ball clay to help a stained slip stick. For slip basics see our slip clay guide.
In clay bodies
Mason's 5 to 7% is the figure to start from. Stains can change how a clay matures, so test shrinkage and absorption on stained clay used for functional ware. The nerikomi guide linked above covers wet and dry mixing methods.
How to choose and buy Mason stains
Sizes
US dealers sell Mason stains by the quarter pound, pound, 5 lb and 10 lb. The Ceramic Shop notes that quantities over one pound may need a special order. A quarter pound covers dozens of test tiles and several small glaze batches, so buy small until you know a color works in your base.
Where to buy
Mason sells through distributors, and its website keeps a distributor list. US pottery suppliers such as Laguna Clay, The Ceramic Shop, Sheffield Pottery and Seattle Pottery Supply stock a wide range. Amazon listings exist for popular numbers, but check that the listing names the exact Mason number and a sealed maker package.
Get the color chart first
Dealers sell Mason's printed stain chart for a few dollars. Screen colors lie, and the printed chart shows fired chips with the stain numbers, which saves buying the wrong shade.
Watch for retired numbers
Mason's Color Support page says it is cutting its range from 160 to 100 pigments. Its archived formulas page lists retired numbers with replacement stains or blend percentages, so an old recipe that calls for a missing number can often be rebuilt.
Match stains to your cone and base glaze
Most stains in Mason's table carry a 2,300°F (1,260°C) limit, a few carry 2,156°F (1,180°C) or 1,976°F (1,080°C). Compare those figures with your firing on our pottery cone chart; cone 10 firings can run past 2,300°F. Then check the zinc and calcium notes against your base glaze before you buy.
Price
Iron browns and some pinks are the cheapest. Cobalt blues, chrome-tin pinks and especially cadmium inclusion reds, oranges and yellows cost the most. Laguna's stain page showed starting prices from under $7 to over $20 in October 2026, depending on the color. Check the live price.
Zinc, chrome-tin and calcium: Mason's glaze rules
Mason's reference guide says zinc oxide influences glaze color more than any other element. Zinc already combined inside a stain does no harm, but free zinc oxide in the glaze can destroy some colors. Each stain carries a note: no zinc, zinc optional, zinc helps, or best without zinc.
- Chrome greens turning brown: Mason's FAQ says to remove all zinc, because it turns chromium brown in most situations.
- Red-browns: Mason suggests a base glaze with 3 to 5% zinc to support the red side.
- Chrome-tin pinks, crimsons and purples: no zinc, low magnesia, 12 to 15% calcium carbonate, oxidation firing.
- Zincless glazes: Mason says these generally should not contain magnesium oxide either.
If you buy commercial glaze rather than mixing your own, ask the maker whether the clear contains zinc before you add a chrome-tin stain. For the wider chemistry behind colorants, see our guide to ceramic materials.
Dust safety with Mason stains
Dry stains are very fine powders, and many contain metals such as cobalt, chromium, nickel, manganese or cadmium. Mason offers its Safety Data Sheets on request and online: get the SDS for every stain you buy and follow it. Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator rated for fine dust (at least N95, and P100 filters are better for regular mixing) and nitrile gloves while weighing and mixing. Weigh gently, never pour from height, mix into water or wet clay as soon as you can, and clean the bench and floor wet. Never dry sweep or sand stained greenware. Keep stains away from food areas and children. Our planned clay dust safety page covers silica in more depth.
Food use: Mason states that no lead compounds are used in its pigments. A stained glaze is only as food safe as the base glaze, the firing and the testing behind it. Stains with cadmium, and high stain loads in general, call for lab leach testing before you sell or use pots for food. We cannot tell you a stained glaze is food safe on your pots.
Sources: Mason Color Works reference guide, body stains page, ceramic stains page, FAQ, Safety Data Sheets page, Color Support page and archived formulas (masoncolor.com); The Ceramic Shop Mason stain category; Seattle Pottery Supply, "How do you add Mason stain to a glaze?"; Laguna Clay stain listings; Sheffield Pottery Mason stain listings; Studio Alden, "Mason Stains in Plain English"; Digitalfire notes on Mason 6021 and 6600; Ahrefs SERP data for "mason stains for pottery". Specs checked October 2026.