American Art Clay Company

What American Art Clay Company does

American Art Clay Company (AMACO), founded in 1919 and headquartered at 6060 Guion Road, Indianapolis, Indiana, manufactures and distributes a full line of ceramic art supplies under its AMACO and Brent brands. The company's core product categories include glazes and underglazes (flagship Velvet Underglaze, Potter's Choice, Celadon, Cosmos, Crawls, Kiln Ice, Shino, Teacher's Palette, Dipping & Layering), ceramic clays (firing, air-dry, self-hardening, modeling), studio equipment (Brent pottery wheels, slab rollers, extruders, Excel kilns, bats, parts), ceramic inks, glaze additives, tools, and mixed-media products including Rub 'n Buff and Friendly Plastic. AMACO operates an educational content platform (AMACO Create) that provides lesson plans, techniques, a layering database, glossary, and tutorials, and the company has co-developed industry safety standards through its founding membership in the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) since 1936, with ACMI-certified products since 1940 under ASTM and LHAMA frameworks.

AMACO's technology base is materials-science driven — proprietary glaze and underglaze formulations, equipment engineering for the Brent line (including recycled-materials manufacturing since 2009), and compliance with FDA dinnerware safety and ACMI AP/CL seals — rather than software- or data-driven. The company sells through a primary authorized distributor and dealer network, complemented by direct e-commerce at shop.amaco.com (covering the 48 contiguous U.S. states), a physical retail store (Brickyard Ceramics & Crafts) and contemporary clay gallery at the Indianapolis HQ, and a dedicated international sales operation covering all countries outside North America plus Mexico and the U.S. Tax-exempt institutional customers (e.g., schools) are required to order through distributors, embedding the channel into education procurement.

AMACO is a privately held Indiana corporation (American Art Clay Co, Inc.) with no disclosed parent company, venture backing, or public listing. It serves three primary customer segments — educational institutions (K-12 and universities), professional ceramic artists and studio potters, and hobbyists/craft enthusiasts — with education and professional artists as the primary segments. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales across the consumables and equipment portfolio; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set through the distributor network and direct e-commerce. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019 and shows no quantitative revenue, headcount, or growth disclosure in the available source material.

Name

American Art Clay Company

Legal name

American Art Clay Co, Inc.

Website

https://amaco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ceramic Art Supplies Manufacturing

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Model Paints, Finishes & Adhesives (CRALAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Modeling Tools & Workshop Equipment (Knives, Airbrushes, Compressors) (CRALAKAG), Fine Art Materials Retail (Paint, Canvas, Drawing) (CRALACAB), General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)

Keywords

• Ceramic art supplies
• Pottery equipment
• Kilns and wheels
• Glazes and underglazes
• Ceramic clay bodies

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ceramic Supplies Sales: AMACO generates revenue through the sale of ceramic supplies including glazes, underglazes, ceramic inks, clay bodies, pottery equipment (wheels, kilns, slab rollers, extruders), tools, and mixed media products. Products are sold through distributor/dealer network and direct e-commerce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

American Art Clay Company (AMACO) manufactures and sells ceramic art supplies and studio equipment, including formulated glazes, underglazes, clay bodies, pottery wheels, kilns, slab rollers, extruders, and hand tools. Products are sold through an authorized distributor network, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site (shop.amaco.com), and a physical retail store (Brickyard Ceramics & Crafts). The portfolio spans raw materials through finished studio equipment and includes dedicated product lines such as Velvet Underglaze, Potter's Choice, Celadon, Teacher's Palette, Brent equipment, and Excel kilns.

Product overview

American Art Clay Company (AMACO) offers a comprehensive portfolio of ceramic art supplies organized across multiple product categories. The core offering centers on glazes and underglazes, including the flagship Velvet Underglaze line, Potter's Choice and Potter's Choice Flux mid-high fire glazes, and specialty lines like Cosmos (crystalline effects), Crawls (textured), Kiln Ice (crackle), Celadon, Shino, and Phase Glazes. Low-fire options include Teacher's Palette and Dipping & Layering glazes. Equipment includes Brent pottery wheels, slab rollers, extruders, and Excel kilns. The company also supplies ceramic clays (firing, air-dry, self-hardening), tools, mixed media products, and the AMACO Create educational platform with lesson plans. Founded in 1919, AMACO operates from Indianapolis and sells through distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brent: Pottery wheels, slab rollers, extruders, and related studio equipment
• AMACO Create
• Rub 'n Buff
• Friendly Plastic

Products and services

• Velvet Underglazes A line of opaque, semi-moist underglazes designed for brushing, sponging, stamping, and stenciling on bisque-fired clay. Used by ceramic artists, studios, and school programs.
• Potter's Choice Glazes A premium line of cone 5/6 stoneware glazes known for layered, variegated surfaces. Sold to ceramic artists, studio potters, and educational programs.
• Celadon Glazes A line of translucent, high-fire cone 5-10 glazes that produce depth and variation; targeted at studio potters and production ceramicists.
• Teacher's Palette Glazes A line of non-toxic, AP-certified low-fire glazes formulated for K-12 art classrooms, paired with educational lesson plans and curriculum support.
• Brent Pottery Wheels Electric pottery wheels manufactured under the Brent brand for studio potters, schools, and hobbyists; includes the Brent B, C, EX, IE, and other models.
• Excel Kilns Electric kilns manufactured in-house for firing ceramics, ranging from tabletop test kilns to large studio kilns. Sold to schools, studios, and production potters.
• Brent Slab Rollers Manual slab rollers used to flatten clay into uniform sheets; marketed to schools, studios, and individual potters.
• Brent Extruders Clay extruders used to produce uniform shapes and coils; targeted at ceramic studios and educational programs.
• Rub 'n Buff A wax-based metallic paste finish sold in tubes for restoring, decorating, and finishing a wide variety of craft and DIY surfaces.
• AMACO Ceramic Clay Bodies Prepared moist and dry clay bodies in earthenware, stoneware, and specialty formulations, sold to schools, studios, and ceramic artists.
• AMACO Create (Educator Platform) An online resource hub providing K-12 art educators with curriculum, lesson plans, downloadable worksheets, and bundled classroom ceramic product kits.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1936AMACO became a founding member of ACMI in 1936 (originally called Crayon, Watercolor and Craft Institute). AMACO helped usher in new standards for teaching and making ceramics, working closely with ACMI to initiate the first-ever glaze labeling practices. ACMI's testing and labeling standards became the national standard and forerunner of ASTM D-4236 and LHAMA. Since 1940, AMACO products have been certified by ACMI, requiring evaluation by board-certified toxicologists using ASTM test methods.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AMACOBrent
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkK3spxheWGDPQrxFk0UNzg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AMACObrent
• Instagraminstagram.com/amacobrent/?hl=en
• Pinterestpinterest.com/amacobrent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-art-clay-company

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Art Clay Company