# How to Charge Firing Fees: Per Piece, Per Cubic Inch or By Weight

Cluster: For Studio Owners
URL: https://claybook.studio/blog/how-to-charge-firing-fees-pottery-studio/

# How to Charge Firing Fees: Per Piece, Per Cubic Inch or By Weight

Firing fees are where many studios quietly lose money. If your fees do not reflect your real costs, every full load widens the gap.

This guide compares the three common methods and shows how to set a fee that holds up. You can try the numbers in our [free firing fee calculator](/guides/firing-fee-calculator.html).

## Know your cost per firing first

Add up what a single firing costs you:

* **Electricity or gas** for the firing.
* **Wear on elements, shelves and kiln furniture.** See [understanding your kiln's elements](/learn/understanding-your-electric-kiln-s-elements/).
* **Your time** to load, fire and unload.
* **A share of overhead:** rent, insurance and software.
* **Failures.** Some pieces will break, and some firings will go wrong.

Divide the total by the usable volume of the kiln, or by the typical number of pieces. That gives you a cost floor.

## Method 1: Per piece

Charge a flat fee for each piece, often by size band (small, medium, large).

* **Pros:** easy to explain and easy to take payment for.
* **Cons:** size bands create arguments, and the pieces that use the most shelf space are underpriced.

Best for classes with small, similar projects.

## Method 2: Per cubic inch (or cubic centimeter)

Measure length by width by height and charge by the volume.

* **Pros:** fair, because it tracks the space used.
* **Cons:** measuring takes time, and members forget to measure at home.

Best for studios with experienced members who fire large and varied work.

## Method 3: By weight

Weigh the pieces and charge per kilogram or pound.

* **Pros:** fast and difficult to dispute.
* **Cons:** wet work weighs more than dry, and heavy thick pieces cost more than light, wide platters that take up shelf space.

Best when pieces are similar in density and shape.

## Comparison

| | Per piece | Per volume | By weight |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Speed at the counter | Fast | Slow | Fast |
| Fairness | Medium | High | Medium |
| Easy to explain | High | Medium | High |
| Needs measuring | Sorting by size | Tape measure | Scale |

## Add minimums and extras

* **Minimum fee** per firing, so one tiny piece still covers your time.
* **Rush surcharge** if you fire out of schedule.
* **Glaze firing vs bisque.** Many studios charge differently for each.
* **Free firing with membership**, or a monthly allowance. See [how much to charge for a membership](/blog/pottery-studio-membership-pricing/).

## Use the free calculator

Our [firing fee calculator](/guides/firing-fee-calculator.html) lets you enter your costs and kiln size, compare the three methods, and see the fee for a sample set of pieces. It runs in your browser, and nothing is stored.

## Want this in your studio?

Claybook handles this for your studio: fees are worked out from the pieces logged in a load, so nobody has to measure at the counter.

Tell us how you run things today and we will tailor it to your studio. See [everything we offer studios](/studios/features/).