Cone 4 temperature
Orton cone 4 bends at 2124 °F (1162 °C) at 108 °F/hr and 2161 °F (1183 °C) at 270 °F/hr. It sits in the between the ranges range — cone 27 of 38 on the chart, counting up from 022.
108 °F/hr · 60 °C/hr
2124 °F1162 °C
Medium — the rate most charts quote
270 °F/hr · 150 °C/hr
2161 °F1183 °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 2124 °F is not the same as firing to cone 4 — put a witness cone on the shelf.
Cone 4 is not cone 04
Cone 04 — with the leading zero — is 179 °F cooler (1945 °F), in the bisque & earthenware range. Read the zero as “oh”; a glaze labeled for one will not behave at the other.
What cone 4 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 4 compared
| Comparison | At 108 °F/hr | Difference (medium) | Difference (fast) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cone 4 vs cone 04 | 1945 → 2124 °F | 179 °F (99 °C) | 190 °F (106 °C) | cone 4 is hotter |
| cone 4 vs cone 3 | 2106 → 2124 °F | 18 °F (10 °C) | 23 °F (13 °C) | cone 4 is hotter |
| cone 4 vs cone 5 | 2124 → 2167 °F | 43 °F (24 °C) | 44 °F (24 °C) | cone 5 is hotter |
| cone 4 vs cone 06 | 1828 → 2124 °F | 296 °F (164 °C) | 306 °F (170 °C) | cone 4 is hotter |
| cone 4 vs cone 6 | 2124 → 2232 °F | 108 °F (60 °C) | 108 °F (60 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 4 vs cone 10 | 2124 → 2345 °F | 221 °F (123 °C) | 220 °F (122 °C) | cone 10 is hotter |
Convert
cone 4 bends at
2124 °F(1162 °C)
At 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) — medium. Faster firing → the same cone bends hotter. Everything about cone 4 →
Questions
- What temperature is cone 4?
- Orton cone 4 bends at about 2124 °F (1162 °C) when the kiln climbs at 108 °F per hour, and about 2161 °F (1183 °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 4 in Celsius?
- 1162 °C at 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) and 1183 °C at 270 °F/hr (150 °C/hr), converted from Orton's Fahrenheit chart for self-supporting regular cones.
- Is cone 4 the same as cone 04?
- No — and this is the most common cone mix-up. Cones with a leading zero count down toward cone 1, so cone 04 is cooler than cone 4: about 1945 °F versus 2124 °F at 108 °F/hr, a difference of 179 °F. Read the zero as "oh", not as nothing.
- What is cone 4 used for?
- cone 4 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 4 from cone 3 and cone 5?
- At 108 °F/hr, cone 3 bends 18 °F cooler (2106 °F) and cone 5 bends 43 °F hotter (2167 °F). One cone step is not a fixed number of degrees — the spacing varies across the chart.
Firing to cone 4? Claybench schedules the kiln around it.
Clay body, glazes, and firing schedule are matched by cone before a plan is saved.