Free pottery templates turn slab building from guesswork into a repeatable method. A template is just a flat pattern: trace it onto a slab, cut, and the pieces fit together the same way every time. Home Pottery HQ does not host template downloads. Instead, this guide shows you how to make your own in a few minutes, with measurements we calculated for six common shapes and the formulas to resize them.
It is research-based. The shrinkage figures come from Laguna and AMACO clay data checked in October 2026, and the dimensions are our own calculations, not patterns copied from another maker.
What pottery templates are for in slab building
- Parts that fit. A wall cut to the base's circumference closes without stretching or a gap.
- Repeat sizes. Four mugs cut from one template come out as a set.
- Planned shrinkage. You size the template once and the fired piece lands at the size you wanted.
- Cheap prototypes. A paper version taped into shape shows proportions before you cut any clay.
If slab building is new, our slab pottery guide covers rolling, soft and hard slab methods and joining. This page covers only the patterns.
Make your own templates from cardstock or plastic
| Material | Lasts | Strengths | Weak points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printer paper | One session | Free, easy to fold into test models | Soaks up water, tears |
| Cardstock or file folders | Weeks | Stiff enough to trace around | Softens when damp; cover with clear packing tape |
| Poster board | Weeks | Large sheets for trays and plates | Same moisture problem as cardstock |
| Plastic report covers, file dividers or sheet plastic | Years | Waterproof, wipes clean, see-through types help placement | Smooth plastic can cling to wet clay |
| Craft foam | Months | Flexible, will not crease, easy to cut | Thick edges make tracing slightly less precise |
You also need a ruler, a pencil, a craft knife or scissors, and something to draw arcs: a compass for small circles, or a strip of cardboard with a pin at one end and pencil holes along it for large ones. A calculator handles the shrinkage math.
Scale for shrinkage first
Clay shrinks as it dries and fires, so a template must be larger than the finished piece. Divide the finished size by (1 minus the shrinkage):
Template size = finished size ÷ (1 − shrinkage)
At 12% shrinkage, the figure Laguna lists for B-Mix 5 and AMACO lists for No. 46 Buff at cone 5, that means dividing by 0.88, which is the same as multiplying by about 1.136. At 6.3%, AMACO's figure for No. 25 White Art Clay at cone 04, you multiply by about 1.067. Simply adding 12% (multiplying by 1.12) leaves the fired piece slightly small.
To find your own number, draw a 5 inch line on a wet slab, fire it with your next load and measure it again. Our clay shrinkage guide goes into why bodies differ.
Common shapes with dimensions
The finished sizes below are our design choices for everyday pieces. The template sizes are calculated with the formulas shown and assume 1/4 inch slabs. Round to the nearest 1/16 inch when you draw.
| Shape | Finished size | Template at 6.3% shrinkage | Template at 12% shrinkage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight mug wall | 3.25 in inside diameter, 4 in tall | 11.7 x 4.3 in | 12.4 x 4.6 in |
| Mug base (wall sits on it) | 3.75 in across | 4.0 in circle | 4.2 in circle |
| Tapered cup wall | 3.5 in top, 2.5 in bottom, 4 in tall | Arc radii 15.1 and 10.8 in, 44.7° | Arc radii 16.0 and 11.5 in, 44.7° |
| Square box | 4 in cube outside | Base 4.3 in square; walls 4.3 x 4.0 and 3.8 x 4.0 in | Base 4.6 in square; walls 4.6 x 4.3 and 4.1 x 4.3 in |
| Fold-up tray | 8 x 5 in floor, 1 in walls | 10.7 x 7.5 in, 1.1 in corner squares | 11.4 x 8.0 in, 1.1 in corner squares |
| Coaster | 4 in circle | 4.3 in circle | 4.6 in circle |
| Plate floor | 8 in circle | 8.5 in circle | 9.1 in circle |
| Cylinder vase wall | 3 in inside diameter, 6 in tall | 10.8 x 6.4 in | 11.5 x 6.8 in |
Straight mug or tumbler wall
A straight wall is a rectangle. Its height is the finished height scaled for shrinkage. Its length is the circumference measured through the middle of the wall: π x (scaled inside diameter + slab thickness). For a 3.25 inch inside diameter at 12%, the scaled diameter is 3.69 inches, so the length is π x 3.94, or about 12.4 inches. Add 1/4 inch if you overlap the seam rather than beveling it, and trim the excess after wrapping. The base circle is the scaled inside diameter plus two slab thicknesses.
Tapered cup (an arc template)
A wall that is wider at the top unrolls into a curved band, part of a ring. To draw it:
- Scale the top diameter (D), bottom diameter (d) and height (h) for shrinkage.
- Find the slanted wall length: s = √(h² + ((D − d) ÷ 2)²).
- Outer radius R = s x D ÷ (D − d). Inner radius r = R − s.
- Angle of the band in degrees = 180 x D ÷ R.
- From one pivot point, draw both arcs with a pin-and-strip compass, mark the angle with a protractor, and connect the ends with straight lines.
For our 3.5 by 2.5 inch cup, 4 inches tall, at 12%, that gives radii of 16.0 and 11.5 inches and an angle of 44.7°. The radius is large, so tape two sheets of poster board together. The angle stays the same for any shrinkage, because every measurement scales together. A wider flare shortens the radius.
Square box
Let the walls sit on the base. The front and back walls are the full outside width; the two side walls are narrower by two slab thicknesses so they fit between them. Each wall is the full height minus one slab thickness, since the base adds the rest. Cut a lid the same size as the base. Our slab box ideas page has lid and hinge designs.
Fold-up tray with darted corners
Draw a rectangle equal to the floor plus a wall on each side, then cut a square the size of the wall height out of each corner. Fold the walls up at soft leather hard and score and slip the corners; our score and slip guide covers the join. The same pattern at a smaller size makes a soap dish, or the base of a ceramic ashtray with rests pressed into the corners.
Coaster, plate and drape circles
Flat circles need only a compass and the shrinkage factor. To drape a slab over a mold, measure across the mold's surface with a flexible tape, not straight across the top, or the slab will come up short. Our pottery molds guide covers hump and slump molds.
How to use a template on a slab
- Roll an even slab between guide sticks or with a slab roller, and compress it with a rib on both sides.
- Let it firm to the stage your design needs: soft for curved walls, firmer for boxes. Our leather hard clay guide explains the stages.
- Lay the template down and cut around it with a needle tool held upright. For mitered box corners, angle the blade at 45°.
- Lift the template straight up, wipe it clean and dry, and keep it flat.
- Mark each cut part with a small scratch so you know which edge joins which.
Before cutting clay, cut the same template from plain paper, tape it into shape and hold it in your hand. A mug that looks right on a drawing can feel too narrow once it is a real cylinder.
Label and store your templates
Write on every template the finished size, the shrinkage it assumes, the clay body and the slab thickness. A template drawn for 6.3% low-fire clay comes out noticeably small in a 12% stoneware. Punch a hole and hang templates on a hook, or keep them flat in a folder away from wet clay.
Using printed templates from other sites
Some potters and shops offer printable patterns. If you use one, print at 100% scale and measure a reference line before cutting, find out what shrinkage it assumes, and follow the creator's terms; many are for personal use only. Check the scale of any downloaded file before you trust it, because a printer set to "fit to page" changes every dimension.
Common mistakes
- Sizing the template to the finished piece and forgetting shrinkage.
- Measuring circumference on the inside or outside face instead of through the middle of the wall.
- Cutting on a slab that is too wet, so the shape stretches when lifted.
- Using plain paper on wet clay for a whole session until it tears.
- Mixing up templates made for different clays because none are labeled.
What you need
Templates need little more than cardstock or plastic, a ruler, a compass and a needle tool. The slabs are what take effort: even rolling makes accurate pieces. Our slab roller guide compares rollers and guide sticks.
Sources: Laguna B-Mix 5 product data (12% shrinkage); AMACO No. 46 Buff Stoneware product data (12% at cone 5); AMACO No. 25 White Art Clay product page (6.3% at cone 04); template dimensions and arc formulas calculated by Home Pottery HQ; template pages from Alexandria Pottery, Hobby Potter, FromFran and The Pottery Wheel reviewed for topic coverage. Specs checked October 2026.