Clay Planet
Clay Planet is a Northern California ceramic and pottery supply company, manufacturing 20+ clay body formulations and 400+ glaze colors while retailing kilns, wheels, and tools to schools, artists, students, and hobbyists via a Santa Clara storefront and nationwide e-commerce site.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSanta Clara, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Clay Planet does
Clay Planet is a privately held, vertically integrated ceramic and pottery supply company headquartered at 1775 Russell Avenue, Santa Clara, California. Operating for over 50 years, it serves as Northern California's specialist retailer and manufacturer for ceramic artists, schools, students, and hobbyists. The company runs a hybrid distribution model combining a brick-and-mortar retail store (Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 10-3) with a D2C e-commerce platform (shop.clay-planet.com) that ships UPS, USPS, and LTL across the continental US and accepts prepaid international orders.
Clay Planet firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clay Planet
- Legal name
- Clay Planet
- Website
- https://clay-planet.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Clay Planet is a Northern California ceramic and pottery supply company, manufacturing 20+ clay body formulations and 400+ glaze colors while retailing kilns, wheels, and tools to schools, artists, students, and hobbyists via a Santa Clara storefront and nationwide e-commerce site.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clay Planet industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ceramics and Pottery Supplies
- NAICS
- Pottery, Ceramics, and Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing (327110)
- SIC
- Pottery & Related Products (3260)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Kaolin & Ball Clay (IMAEAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ceramic Powders & Slurries (IMAAABAG)
Keywords
Where Clay Planet is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Clara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Clay Planet business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Sales - Manufactured Goods: Clay Planet manufactures and sells proprietary ceramic clay bodies, glazes, underglazes, and engobes. These are sold as one-time product purchases to ceramics enthusiasts, professionals, and educational institutions.
- Product Sales - Third-Party Supplies: Resells kiln equipment, pottery wheels, tools, firing supplies, safety equipment, and Aftosa ceramic accessory products. Revenue is generated through direct e-commerce and retail sales.
- Firing Services: Clay Planet offers firing services for customers who need access to kilns for their ceramic work.
- Repair Services: Kiln and equipment repair and maintenance services provided at their location.
- Studio Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for setting up ceramic studios.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual retail products with varying price points |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Quantity discounts on bulk purchases |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Clay Planet product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clay Planet manufactures and retails ceramic and pottery supplies, producing over 20 signature ceramic clay bodies and over 400 colors of Western Ceramic Glazes, Underglazes, and Engobes. The company also resells third-party pottery equipment including kilns, pottery wheels, tools, and accessories, and is the exclusive source of Aftosa Ceramic Accessory products since 2020. Operations span a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform and a brick-and-mortar retail store in Santa Clara, California, serving teachers, students, and artists.
Product overview
Clay Planet is Northern California's complete ceramic and pottery supply company, serving teachers, students, and artists for over 50 years. The company operates as a manufacturer and retailer offering over 20 signature ceramic clay bodies and over 400 colors of Western Ceramic Glazes, Underglazes, and Engobes. Clay Planet also distributes Aftosa ceramic accessory products (since 2020) and provides an extensive range of pottery equipment including kilns, wheels, tools, casting supplies, firing accessories, and studio furniture. The product portfolio spans the full ceramics workflow from raw materials and clay bodies through glazes, tools, firing equipment, and accessories. Clay Planet operates a B2C and B2B e-commerce platform at shop.clay-planet.com with wholesale pricing for schools and educators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ceramic Clay Bodies Clay Planet manufactures over 20 signature ceramic clay bodies for pottery and ceramics, including Cone 04-06 (Low Fire), Cone 5/6 (Mid-Fire), and Cone 10 (High-Fire) formulations. Products include stoneware, porcelain, paper clay, and specialty clays sold by the bag.
- Western Ceramic Glazes, Underglazes & Engobes Clay Planet manufactures over 400 colors of Western Ceramic Glazes, Underglazes, Engobes, and related products including low-fire, mid-fire, and high-fire formulations with various finishes such as glossy, crackle, and specialty art glazes.
- Kilns & Firing Equipment Complete kiln solutions including test kilns, electric kilns, and kiln accessories such as shelves, posts, wash, stilts, thermocouples, pyrometers, and firing supplies for cone 10 and lower temperature firings.
- Pottery Wheels & Studio Equipment Pottery wheels including Shimpo VL Whisper and RK Whisper models, Brent wheels, slab rollers, pugmills, extruders, wedging tables, and studio furniture for ceramic studios.
- Ceramic Tools & Accessories Extensive pottery tool selection including Kemper tools, Garrity tools, ribbon ribs, trimming tools, wire tools, texture mats, brushes, sponges, and handbuilding tools for ceramic artists.
- Aftosa Ceramic Accessory Products Aftosa ceramic accessory products including wax resist, plate stands, bowl holders, knob hardware, clock kits, cork products, dispenser pumps, teapot handles, and various craft components. Clay Planet has been the exclusive source of Aftosa products since 2020.
- Casting Slips & Molding Supplies Casting slips including liquid porcelain and stoneware formulations, dry porcelain clay, plaster products, mold rubber bands, sodium silicate solution, Darvan 7 dispersant, and hydrometers for slip casting.
- Ceramic Menders & Kintsugi Repair Kits Ceramic repair products including Aztec high-fire mender, Bisque Fix, Magic Mender, XL-PLUS, and Kintsugi repair kits available in both modern epoxy and traditional urushi formulations.
- Bat Systems & Throwing Bats Bat systems and throwing bats including Dirty Girls bat insert systems, Giffin Grip accessories, Northstar bat systems, Speedball bats, BatMate, BatLiftr, and bat pins for pottery wheels.
- Gift Certificates Clay Planet gift certificates available in denominations of $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, and $250 for gift purchases.
- Workshops at Clay Planet Ceramic arts workshops hosted at the Clay Planet facility, providing hands-on instruction to ceramic students and hobbyists.
- Firing Services Clay Planet offers kiln firing services for customers who need access to kilns for their ceramic work but lack their own firing equipment.
- Kiln & Equipment Repair Services Repair and maintenance services for kilns and other ceramic studio equipment, performed at the Clay Planet location.
- Studio Consulting Services Professional consulting services for setting up new ceramic studios, including equipment selection, layout, and workflow design.
Companies that use Clay Planet
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Clay Planet technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Clay Planet partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AftosacoreClay Planet has been the exclusive source of Aftosa Ceramic Accessory products since 2020. Aftosa products include pottery tools, wax resists, bottle pourers, clock kits, cork products, dispenser pumps, kitchen utensils, lamp kits, and more ceramic accessories.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Clay Planet competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Axner Pottery Supply: A major national online retailer of ceramic and pottery supplies, including clay bodies, glazes, kilns, wheels, and tools. Axner is a direct competitor to Clay Planet in the same product category with similar customer base, though operating at a larger scale with broader geographic reach.
- Laguna Clay Company: Manufacturer and distributor of ceramic clay bodies, glazes, and pottery supplies in Southern California. Laguna Clay competes directly with Clay Planet in the same regional market segment, offering similar proprietary clay formulations and serving professional ceramic artists and educational institutions.
- The Ceramic Shop: An online retailer and manufacturer of ceramic supplies, including clay bodies, glazes, tools, and equipment. The Ceramic Shop competes directly with Clay Planet's e-commerce offering and serves a similar customer base of ceramic artists and educational institutions.
- Sheffield Pottery: A complete ceramic and pottery supply company offering clay bodies, glazes, kilns, wheels, and tools nationally. Sheffield Pottery is a direct competitor with similar product range, though based in the Northeast US, making it a regional peer in terms of primary geographic focus.
- Big Ceramic Store: Online retailer specializing in ceramic and pottery supplies with a similar product catalog of clay, glazes, kilns, and tools. Direct e-commerce competitor serving the same hobbyist and professional ceramic artist customer base as Clay Planet.
- Bailey Pottery Equipment: A manufacturer and distributor of pottery wheels, kilns, and ceramic equipment. Bailey Pottery competes with Clay Planet in the equipment and tooling portion of the ceramics supply market, serving similar professional and educational customers.
Broad incumbents
- Skutt Kilns: A major manufacturer of electric kilns and ceramic firing equipment. While not a direct retailer of clay and glazes, Skutt is a key supplier whose products Clay Planet resells, and it competes in the broader ceramic supplies ecosystem.
- Blick Art Materials: A large national art supplies retailer offering a broad range of products including ceramics, pottery, and clay. While not specializing in ceramics like Clay Planet, Blick competes for the same hobbyist and educational customer segments with broader category coverage.
- AMACO (American Art Clay Co.): A large, established manufacturer of ceramic supplies, glazes, underglazes, and art materials. AMACO competes with Clay Planet's Western Ceramic Glazes line but operates at a much larger scale as a broader incumbent in the art supplies industry.
Regional players
- Standard Ceramic Supply: A regional ceramic supply company in the Pittsburgh area manufacturing clay bodies and selling pottery supplies. Comparable to Clay Planet in business model and product offering but serving a different geographic market in the Northeast.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Clay Planet social profiles
Digital presenceClay Planet financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clay Planet leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Clay Planet funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clay Planet M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clay Planet
What does Clay Planet do?
Clay Planet manufactures and retails ceramic and pottery supplies, producing over 20 signature ceramic clay bodies and over 400 colors of Western Ceramic Glazes, Underglazes, and Engobes. The company also resells third-party pottery equipment including kilns, pottery wheels, tools, and accessories, and is the exclusive source of Aftosa Ceramic Accessory products since 2020. Operations span a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform and a brick-and-mortar retail store in Santa Clara, California, serving teachers, students, and artists.
Is Clay Planet a public or private company?
Clay Planet is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Clay Planet founded?
Clay Planet was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Clay Planet based?
Clay Planet is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States, in the North America region.
How does Clay Planet make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Product Sales - Manufactured Goods are the primary driver. The others are product Sales - Third-Party Supplies, firing Services, repair Services and studio Consulting Services.
Who are Clay Planet's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Axner Pottery Supply, Laguna Clay Company, The Ceramic Shop, Sheffield Pottery, Big Ceramic Store and Bailey Pottery Equipment. Broad incumbents are Skutt Kilns, Blick Art Materials and AMACO (American Art Clay Co.). Standard Ceramic Supply is listed as a regional player.
Does Clay Planet have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clay Planet.
What industry is Clay Planet in?
Clay Planet's product category is Ceramics and Pottery Supplies. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAFAB, Kaolin & Ball Clay, with a secondary code of IMAAABAG, Ceramic Powders & Slurries. Its NAICS code is 327110 and its SIC code is 3260.