Cone 5½ temperature
Orton cone 5½ bends at 2197 °F (1203 °C) at 108 °F/hr and 2237 °F (1225 °C) at 270 °F/hr. It sits in the mid fire range — cone 29 of 38 on the chart, counting up from 022.
108 °F/hr · 60 °C/hr
2197 °F1203 °C
Medium — the rate most charts quote
270 °F/hr · 150 °C/hr
2237 °F1225 °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 2197 °F is not the same as firing to cone 5½ — put a witness cone on the shelf.
Cone 5½ is not cone 05½
Cone 05½ — with the leading zero — is 338 °F cooler (1859 °F), in the bisque & earthenware range. Read the zero as “oh”; a glaze labeled for one will not behave at the other.
What cone 5½ 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 5½ compared
| Comparison | At 108 °F/hr | Difference (medium) | Difference (fast) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cone 5½ vs cone 05½ | 1859 → 2197 °F | 338 °F (188 °C) | 360 °F (200 °C) | cone 5½ is hotter |
| cone 5½ vs cone 5 | 2167 → 2197 °F | 30 °F (17 °C) | 32 °F (18 °C) | cone 5½ is hotter |
| cone 5½ vs cone 6 | 2197 → 2232 °F | 35 °F (19 °C) | 32 °F (18 °C) | cone 6 is hotter |
| cone 5½ vs cone 06 | 1828 → 2197 °F | 369 °F (205 °C) | 382 °F (212 °C) | cone 5½ is hotter |
| cone 5½ vs cone 04 | 1945 → 2197 °F | 252 °F (140 °C) | 266 °F (148 °C) | cone 5½ is hotter |
| cone 5½ vs cone 10 | 2197 → 2345 °F | 148 °F (82 °C) | 144 °F (80 °C) | cone 10 is hotter |
Convert
cone 5½ bends at
2197 °F(1203 °C)
At 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) — medium. Faster firing → the same cone bends hotter. Everything about cone 5½ →
Questions
- What temperature is cone 5½?
- Orton cone 5½ bends at about 2197 °F (1203 °C) when the kiln climbs at 108 °F per hour, and about 2237 °F (1225 °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 5½ in Celsius?
- 1203 °C at 108 °F/hr (60 °C/hr) and 1225 °C at 270 °F/hr (150 °C/hr), converted from Orton's Fahrenheit chart for self-supporting regular cones.
- Is cone 5½ the same as cone 05½?
- No — and this is the most common cone mix-up. Cones with a leading zero count down toward cone 1, so cone 05½ is cooler than cone 5½: about 1859 °F versus 2197 °F at 108 °F/hr, a difference of 338 °F. Read the zero as "oh", not as nothing.
- What is cone 5½ used for?
- cone 5½ 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 5½ from cone 5 and cone 6?
- At 108 °F/hr, cone 5 bends 30 °F cooler (2167 °F) and cone 6 bends 35 °F hotter (2232 °F). One cone step is not a fixed number of degrees — the spacing varies across the chart.
Firing to cone 5½? Claybench schedules the kiln around it.
Clay body, glazes, and firing schedule are matched by cone before a plan is saved.