Cone 5 temperature
Orton cone 5 bends at 2167 °F (1186 °C) at 108 °F/hr and 2205 °F (1207 °C) at 270 °F/hr. It sits in the mid fire range — cone 28 of 38 on the chart, counting up from 022.
108 °F/hr · 60 °C/hr
2167 °F1186 °C
Medium — the rate most charts quote
270 °F/hr · 150 °C/hr
2205 °F1207 °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 2167 °F is not the same as firing to cone 5 — put a witness cone on the shelf.
Cone 5 is not cone 05
Cone 05 — with the leading zero — is 279 °F cooler (1888 °F), in the bisque & earthenware range. Read the zero as “oh”; a glaze labeled for one will not behave at the other.
What cone 5 is used for
Mid fire — The most common range for functional stoneware and porcelain in electric kilns. Cone 6 is the modern default; cone 5 shows up on many commercial glazes.
Convention per Mastering Cone 6 Glazes (Hesselberth & Roy).
Cone 5 compared
| Comparison | At 108 °F/hr | Difference (medium) | Difference (fast) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cone 5 vs cone 05 | 1888 → 2167 °F | 279 °F (155 °C) | 294 °F (163 °C) | cone 5 is hotter |
| cone 5 vs cone 4 | 2124 → 2167 °F | 43 °F (24 °C) | 44 °F (24 °C) | cone 5 is hotter |
| cone 5 vs cone 5½ | 2167 → 2197 °F | 30 °F (17 °C) | 32 °F (18 °C) | cone 5½ is hotter |
| cone 5 vs cone 06 | 1828 → 2167 °F | 339 °F (188 °C) | 350 °F (194 °C) | cone 5 is hotter |
| cone 5 vs cone 04 | 1945 → 2167 °F | 222 °F (123 °C) | 234 °F (130 °C) | cone 5 is hotter |
| cone 5 vs cone 6 | 2167 → 2232 °F | 65 °F (36 °C) | 64 °F (36 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 5 vs cone 10 | 2167 → 2345 °F | 178 °F (99 °C) | 176 °F (98 °C) | cone 10 is hotter |
Convert
cone 5 bends at
2167 °F(1186 °C)
At 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) — medium. Faster firing → the same cone bends hotter. Everything about cone 5 →
Questions
- What temperature is cone 5?
- Orton cone 5 bends at about 2167 °F (1186 °C) when the kiln climbs at 108 °F per hour, and about 2205 °F (1207 °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 5 in Celsius?
- 1186 °C at 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) and 1207 °C at 270 °F/hr (150 °C/hr), converted from Orton's Fahrenheit chart for self-supporting regular cones.
- Is cone 5 the same as cone 05?
- No — and this is the most common cone mix-up. Cones with a leading zero count down toward cone 1, so cone 05 is cooler than cone 5: about 1888 °F versus 2167 °F at 108 °F/hr, a difference of 279 °F. Read the zero as "oh", not as nothing.
- What is cone 5 used for?
- cone 5 sits in the mid fire range. The most common range for functional stoneware and porcelain in electric kilns. Cone 6 is the modern default; cone 5 shows up on many commercial glazes.
- How far is cone 5 from cone 4 and cone 5½?
- At 108 °F/hr, cone 4 bends 43 °F cooler (2124 °F) and cone 5½ bends 30 °F hotter (2197 °F). One cone step is not a fixed number of degrees — the spacing varies across the chart.
Firing to cone 5? Claybench schedules the kiln around it.
Clay body, glazes, and firing schedule are matched by cone before a plan is saved.