Cone 3 temperature
Orton cone 3 bends at 2106 °F (1152 °C) at 108 °F/hr and 2138 °F (1170 °C) at 270 °F/hr. It sits in the between the ranges range — cone 26 of 38 on the chart, counting up from 022.
108 °F/hr · 60 °C/hr
2106 °F1152 °C
Medium — the rate most charts quote
270 °F/hr · 150 °C/hr
2138 °F1170 °C
Fast — typical of a quick electric firing
Orton self-supporting regular cones; rate measured over the last 200 °F of the firing. Source: Orton °F chart; °C converted. Cones measure heat-work, so a controller set to 2106 °F is not the same as firing to cone 3 — put a witness cone on the shelf.
Cone 3 is not cone 03
Cone 03 — with the leading zero — is 119 °F cooler (1987 °F), in the between the ranges range. Read the zero as “oh”; a glaze labeled for one will not behave at the other.
What cone 3 is used for
Between the ranges — Upper earthenware and lower mid-range. Less common as a target than the cones either side; some commercial glazes and sculpture bodies specify it.
Cone 3 compared
| Comparison | At 108 °F/hr | Difference (medium) | Difference (fast) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cone 3 vs cone 03 | 1987 → 2106 °F | 119 °F (66 °C) | 119 °F (66 °C) | cone 3 is hotter |
| cone 3 vs cone 2 | 2088 → 2106 °F | 18 °F (10 °C) | 11 °F (6 °C) | cone 3 is hotter |
| cone 3 vs cone 4 | 2106 → 2124 °F | 18 °F (10 °C) | 23 °F (13 °C) | cone 4 is hotter |
| cone 3 vs cone 06 | 1828 → 2106 °F | 278 °F (154 °C) | 283 °F (157 °C) | cone 3 is hotter |
| cone 3 vs cone 04 | 1945 → 2106 °F | 161 °F (89 °C) | 167 °F (93 °C) | cone 3 is hotter |
| cone 3 vs cone 5 | 2106 → 2167 °F | 61 °F (34 °C) | 67 °F (37 °C) | cone 5 is hotter |
| cone 3 vs cone 6 | 2106 → 2232 °F | 126 °F (70 °C) | 131 °F (73 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 3 vs cone 10 | 2106 → 2345 °F | 239 °F (133 °C) | 243 °F (135 °C) | cone 10 is hotter |
Convert
cone 3 bends at
2106 °F(1152 °C)
At 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) — medium. Faster firing → the same cone bends hotter. Everything about cone 3 →
Questions
- What temperature is cone 3?
- Orton cone 3 bends at about 2106 °F (1152 °C) when the kiln climbs at 108 °F per hour, and about 2138 °F (1170 °C) at 270 °F per hour. Cones measure heat-work — temperature over time — so the faster you fire, the hotter the kiln has to get for the same cone to bend.
- What is cone 3 in Celsius?
- 1152 °C at 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) and 1170 °C at 270 °F/hr (150 °C/hr), converted from Orton's Fahrenheit chart for self-supporting regular cones.
- Is cone 3 the same as cone 03?
- No — and this is the most common cone mix-up. Cones with a leading zero count down toward cone 1, so cone 03 is cooler than cone 3: about 1987 °F versus 2106 °F at 108 °F/hr, a difference of 119 °F. Read the zero as "oh", not as nothing.
- What is cone 3 used for?
- cone 3 sits in the between the ranges range. Upper earthenware and lower mid-range. Less common as a target than the cones either side; some commercial glazes and sculpture bodies specify it.
- How far is cone 3 from cone 2 and cone 4?
- At 108 °F/hr, cone 2 bends 18 °F cooler (2088 °F) and cone 4 bends 18 °F hotter (2124 °F). One cone step is not a fixed number of degrees — the spacing varies across the chart.
Firing to cone 3? Claybench schedules the kiln around it.
Clay body, glazes, and firing schedule are matched by cone before a plan is saved.