How will tariffs affect pricing on pottery supplies?

In the last few weeks, we’ve had quite a few customers reach out with concerns about what the new tariffs on Canadian, Chinese, and Mexican products will mean for the pottery industry. Let’s take a moment to answer that question.

The simple answer is yes, tariffs will increase the cost of a wide variety of items, from clay to kiln shelves. This is because some of the products we sell are manufactured in China, Mexico, or Canada (such as Shimpo Wheels and Chinese Clay Art brushes and tools). Although we haven’t seen any price increases yet (as of writing at the end of April, 2025), we are highly likely to see increases on all these products in the future. 

Then, there is another class of products that will be affected. These are the products made from materials that come from either Canada or Mexico. How much these will increase is a little harder to pin down, because individual product pricing will depend on how much of the raw material is required to manufacture that product. Let’s look at an example.

Nepheline syenite and the U.S. tariffs on Canadian products

Nepheline syenite is a flux that we use in the manufacture of many of our clays and glazes. The main source of nepheline syenite for the ceramics world is in Canada. And, yes, that means a 25% tariff (at least at the time we’re writing this blog) on the import. 

But here’s the good news for you: while we’re paying 25% more than we used to for our raw supply, nepheline syenite is only a small percentage of the formulation of our clays and glazes—so the cost increase to the end product is fairly minimal. The exact increase, of course, will depend on how much or how little nepheline syenite is used in that

particular formulation. This means that a large portion of our clays and glazes will see a small price increase, but it shouldn’t be by very much.

How many of the pottery products we sell will be affected?

The reality is, we just don't know yet. We are assuming that a large portion of our products will be affected eventually, both those we make ourselves and those from other manufacturers. We think the majority of the increases we’ll see will be small increases because of the increased cost of raw materials, such as the Nepheline syenite example above, but some may be more substantial. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more!