Kiln Firing Cost Calculator: All 50 State Rates, Gas and Electric, Per-Piece Cost

Using the EIA 2024 national residential average of 16.48 cents per kWh, a medium-sized kiln of about 10 kilowatts fired for 8 hours with 45 percent average duty cycle for bisque costs approximately $5.93 per firing. The same kiln for a cone 6 glaze firing (9 hours, 60% duty) costs approximately $8.90. These are national averages. Actual costs range from under $4.00 per firing in low-rate states like Washington, Louisiana, and Arkansas, to over $18.00 per firing in Hawaii and Connecticut. Use the state selector in this calculator to get a state-specific number based on EIA 2024 residential average data.

Duty cycle is the percentage of time during a firing that the kiln elements are actually drawing power. It matters because a kiln that runs 10 kilowatts for only 45 percent of the time consumes only 4.5 kilowatts on average, which directly affects your electricity bill. Use 45 percent for bisque firings to cone 06, 55 to 60 percent for mid-fire cone 6 glaze firings, and 65 to 70 percent for high-fire cone 9 to 11 firings. These figures reflect typical ramp programs used by US studio potters. The most accurate way to know your specific duty cycle is to measure total kWh consumed with a Kill-A-Watt meter over several firings and divide by (kiln kW times hours).

Based on EIA 2024 annual residential average data, the five cheapest states for electricity are Washington (9.71 cents/kWh), Louisiana (9.80 cents), Arkansas (10.17 cents), Idaho (10.69 cents), and Oklahoma (10.21 cents). The five most expensive are Hawaii (37.56 cents/kWh), Rhode Island (27.02 cents), Connecticut (26.14 cents), Massachusetts (25.61 cents), and Maine (24.68 cents). A cone 6 glaze firing in a 10-kilowatt kiln costs about $5.24 in Washington and about $20.28 in Hawaii, a nearly fourfold difference. The Pacific Northwest benefits from extensive hydroelectric generation that keeps rates low. New England states face higher costs from aging grid infrastructure and reliance on imported natural gas.

For firings above cone 6, the comparison is complex and depends heavily on local electricity and gas rates. At cone 10, an electric firing in a large kiln consumes roughly 120 kWh and costs about $19.80 at the national average electricity rate. The equivalent heat energy in propane (at a 60% efficiency gas kiln) might cost $65-140 depending on local propane prices and kiln size. However, gas kilns have significantly higher kiln purchase costs and require chimney/ventilation infrastructure. At cone 6 and below, electric is almost always more economical for studio-scale operations in the US. At cone 10, gas can be cheaper in high-electricity-rate states if propane prices are moderate, but the kiln and infrastructure investment usually favors electric unless the work specifically requires reduction atmosphere.

The wattage (or kilowatt rating) of your kiln is printed on a metal nameplate affixed to the side or back of the control box. It may show watts (W) or kilowatts (kW), or it may show volts and amps rather than watts directly. Watts equals volts times amps, so a 240-volt kiln drawing 42 amps is a 10,080-watt (10.08 kW) kiln. If the nameplate is missing or unreadable, check the manufacturer’s specification sheet on their website using your kiln’s model number. For kilns without a model number, contact the manufacturer’s technical support line with a photo of the kiln and the control box.

The state electricity rates in this calculator are drawn from the EIA (Energy Information Administration) Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, which reports the average retail price of electricity by state and sector. The residential rates used are the 2024 annual averages for the residential customer class. The EIA collects this data from utilities across all 50 states and publishes it monthly with a two to three month lag. The national residential average for 2024 was 16.48 cents per kWh. You can access the raw data directly at eia.gov/electricity/monthly. Because rates change monthly, always compare this calculator’s rate against your current utility bill for production cost tracking.

The CO2 emission factors in this calculator come from EPA eGRID2023, the Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database published by the US Environmental Protection Agency. eGRID reports the average CO2 equivalent emissions per kilowatt-hour for each NERC grid region, calculated from actual generation mix and emissions reported by utilities. The US national average is 0.852 lbs CO2 per kWh. This ranges from 0.316 lbs per kWh in the Pacific Northwest, which has abundant hydroelectric generation, to 0.944 lbs per kWh in Hawaii, which relies primarily on oil-fired generation. For gas kilns, the CO2 factors use EIA published emission coefficients: 11.70 lbs CO2 per therm for natural gas and 12.72 lbs CO2 per gallon for propane.

The electricity cost calculated by this tool is only one component of a fair studio firing fee. Full studio firing fees should also include kiln furniture wear and replacement (kiln shelves, posts, and furniture typically last 50 to 200 firings before needing replacement), kiln element replacement (elements may last 100 to 300 firings for mid-fire, fewer for high-fire), a share of kiln purchase amortization over its useful life, the value of the staff time spent loading, monitoring, and unloading the kiln, and an overhead share for the studio space and utilities during the firing. Ceramics Monthly has published articles on firing fee structures that show the electricity component often represents only 30 to 50 percent of a well-calculated total firing fee. The energy cost from this calculator is the starting point, not the ending point.

Yes, indirectly. A kiln located in a cold, uninsulated space (like an unheated garage in Minnesota in January) will take longer to reach temperature because the kiln is losing heat to the cold environment faster. This means longer firing times and potentially higher duty cycle percentages, which both increase electricity consumption. In very cold conditions, some potters add fiber blankets over the lid of their kiln to reduce heat loss during the initial warm-up phase. A kiln in a temperature-controlled studio maintains more consistent firing times and costs across seasons. If your firing times are noticeably longer in winter than summer, cold ambient temperature may be contributing to higher firing costs.

Time-of-use (TOU) plans charge different rates at different times of day, with lower rates during off-peak periods (typically nights and weekends) and higher rates during peak demand hours (often weekday afternoons). If your utility offers a TOU plan with off-peak rates 20 to 40 percent below the standard rate, programming your kiln controller to start a firing at 10pm can reduce your effective rate significantly. A kiln that costs $8.90 at the standard rate might cost only $5.34 to $7.12 on an off-peak TOU rate. The EIA’s Energy.gov website has information on time-of-use program availability by state and utility. Not all utilities offer TOU plans, and not all kilns are suitable for delayed-start programming, but for studios that fire frequently, the savings can be meaningful over a full year.

Natural gas is delivered by pipeline infrastructure directly to your studio connection, measured in therms or CCF (hundreds of cubic feet), and billed monthly by a utility. 1 therm contains 100,000 BTU of energy. The EIA reports the 2024 residential average US natural gas price at approximately $12.00 per MCF (thousand cubic feet), equivalent to about $1.17 per therm. Propane is delivered by truck and stored in tanks, measured in gallons, with 1 gallon containing 91,502 BTU. US propane prices vary more seasonally than natural gas and averaged approximately $2.50 per gallon nationally through 2024, though rural prices can be significantly higher. Propane has a slightly higher energy density per cubic foot than natural gas but is typically more expensive per BTU in most US markets.

The wattage presets are based on manufacturer-published specification data for the named models. They represent the rated maximum power draw at the specified voltage. Actual power consumption may differ from the rated spec due to element age (older elements have higher resistance and draw less power), the specific configuration of elements installed, ambient temperature, and voltage variation from the utility. Skutt, L&L, Olympic, Paragon, and Evenheat all publish detailed spec sheets on their websites. For the most accurate calculation, find your kiln’s specific model on the manufacturer’s website and use the wattage from that spec sheet, or read the actual amperage from your circuit breaker label and multiply by your supply voltage.

The right number is whatever matches your actual firing schedule. A studio potter who fires once a week would enter 52. A hobbyist who fires once a month might enter 12. A production studio that fires Monday, Wednesday, and Friday might enter 150. If you run both bisque and glaze firings separately, calculate each type individually and add the annual costs together. Most potters who do their own bisque and glaze cycles run roughly double the bisque firings per year as glaze firings, since multiple bisque loads can be combined into one larger glaze load when the work is ready. For a first estimate, 52 annual firings (one per week) is a reasonable starting point for a serious studio potter who works consistently year-round.

Yes, the electricity cost calculation works for any electric kiln or oven that runs from kilowatts, firing hours, and a duty cycle. Glass fusing kilns, enameling kilns, annealing ovens, and heat treat kilns all follow the same kWh formula. Enter the kiln’s rated wattage, your firing or annealing schedule duration, and an appropriate duty cycle estimate for the temperature range you are targeting. Glass fusing typically runs between 1,350 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is lower than ceramics cone 06, and usually uses lower duty cycles in the 35 to 50 percent range during the firing phase. The annealing hold at lower temperatures (around 900 degrees Fahrenheit) adds relatively little cost since the elements are cycling very infrequently to maintain that lower temperature.

Several factors can create a discrepancy. First, your kiln may not be the only high-draw appliance on that utility account. Air conditioning, water heaters, electric dryers, and studio equipment all contribute. Second, if your kiln is on the same meter as your home or studio building, separating the kiln’s share requires knowing which portion of your total consumption comes from firing days vs. non-firing days. Third, if your utility has tiered pricing (where the rate increases as you use more electricity in a month), your effective rate per kWh may be higher than the state average shown in this calculator. For precise tracking, a Kill-A-Watt submetering device on the kiln circuit gives you exact kWh consumption per firing without needing to separate it from your total bill.

The kiln firing CO2 estimate from this calculator is one component of the full ceramics production carbon footprint. Other components include the embodied energy in producing and transporting raw materials (clay, glazes, plasters), packaging materials, and shipping finished work. The EPA eGRID2023 emission factor used here covers only the direct CO2 from electricity generation serving your kiln. For a comprehensive carbon footprint of a ceramics studio, life-cycle assessment methodology is needed. The EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator at epa.gov provides useful context for understanding what a given weight of CO2 represents in everyday terms. A single cone 6 glaze firing at the US average emits roughly the equivalent of driving a passenger car about 50 miles.