Handmade stoneware and ceramic décor. How India makes them.
Handmade stoneware and ceramic décor are best sourced from Khurja in Uttar Pradesh, India's traditional pottery town, and from Jaipur, with Gujarat's ceramic belt around Thangadh and Morbi supplying bodies, glazes and kiln know-how. Potters make mugs, bowls, serving dishes, vases and planters with reactive and matt glazes, using lead- and cadmium-free glazes for food use.
- 6
- process steps
- 4
- mapped clusters
- 6912
- typical HS heading
- Clusters for this product
- Other clusters
How it is made, in 6 steps.
The sequence Indian factories follow, from raw material to an approved part ready to ship.
- Clay bodyStoneware body blended, pugged and aged
- FormingWheel-thrown, jiggered or slip-cast in plaster moulds; handles attached
- Bisque firingDried pieces fired at around 900 °C before glazing
- GlazingDipped or sprayed with lead- and cadmium-free glazes
- Glost firingFired at stoneware temperatures of around 1,200–1,280 °C
- Inspection & packingCrazing, pinholes, wobble and chips checked; packed in drop-tested master cartons
What buyers plan around.
- Typical HS heading
- 6912 (ceramic tableware and kitchenware, other than porcelain); 6913 for ornamental pieces
Check 6912 in the HS code finder - Lead time
- Samples 3–5 weeks, production 8–12 weeks, longer for reactive glazes
- India's edge
- Khurja's potters combine hand throwing and moulding with modern kilns, which suits small, varied collections with handmade character at export quality.
- Materials
- Process families
The clusters that make it.
Listed in the order buyers usually start. Each page covers the nearest ports and neighbouring clusters.
Tests we plan for.
The checks that usually sit in the inspection plan for this product. We agree the final list with you against your drawing and market.
How our inspections work- Lead and cadmium release on fired pieces (US FDA, California Prop 65, EU Directive 84/500/EEC)
- Thermal shock, dishwasher and microwave tests
- Crazing (autoclave) test
- Drop test on master cartons (ISTA 1A or 2A)
Straight answers.
Anything else, ask us directly. A principal replies, not a bot.
anirudh@sourcesquid.coAre Indian stoneware glazes lead-free?
Export potters use lead- and cadmium-free glazes for tableware, but always ask for a release test on the finished, fired piece from an accredited laboratory, for every glaze.
Why does each reactive glaze piece look different?
Reactive glazes change with glaze thickness and kiln position, so variation is part of the look. Approve a range sample showing the lightest and darkest acceptable pieces.
How should ceramic décor be packed for export?
Individual wraps or pulp inserts, dividers in inner cartons and double-wall master cartons, proven with a drop test such as ISTA 1A or 2A before the first shipment.
Get a free teardown for your handmade stoneware and ceramic décor.
Send one drawing, photo or quote. Within 48 hours we return how it is made, the best-fit Indian clusters and a realistic target price.