Potters, Manufacturing
Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Quality Control Analysis
Key knowledge
- Fine Arts
- Production and Processing
- Design
- Customer and Personal Service
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- Engineering and Technology
What the work involves
- Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.
- Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
- Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
- Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
- Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
- Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
- Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.
- Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Artistic.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Some College Courses (30.9% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (22.5%)
- On-the-job training
- Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (20.1%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Potters, Manufacturing is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
- Projection education uses SOC 51-9195 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very low | Lower on contact with others than 89% of occupations compared | 50% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time” |
| Dealing with the public | Very high | Higher on dealing with the public than 84% of occupations compared | 64% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | Very low | Lower on teamwork than 94% of occupations compared | 26% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very high | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 85% of occupations compared | 88% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very low | Lower on time pressure than 94% of occupations compared | 45% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 90% of occupations compared | 63% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 95% of occupations compared | 59% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Low | Lower on consequence of error than 72% of occupations compared | 33% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very low
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- Consequence of error: low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 7.21%
- Occasional contact with others: 11.74%
- Contact with others about half the time: 8.73%
- Contact with others most of the time: 49.85%
- Constant contact with others: 22.46%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 2.98%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 22.89%
- Very important: 10.53%
- Extremely important: 63.61%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 12.56%
- Fairly important: 21.86%
- Important: 16.58%
- Very important: 25.55%
- Extremely important: 23.45%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 10.19%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 0%
- Some freedom: 2.06%
- A lot of freedom: 87.74%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Time pressure
- Never: 10.19%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 16.92%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 44.86%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 19.23%
- Every day: 8.79%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Conflict situations
- Never: 19.12%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 63.3%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 9.46%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 0%
- Every day: 8.12%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 30%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 59.15%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 2.73%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 8.12%
- Every day: 0%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 31.56%
- Fairly serious: 13.16%
- Serious: 32.87%
- Very serious: 15.19%
- Extremely serious: 7.21%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2020
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
- Analyze
Craft Artists
Closeness 90/100
- Analyze
Model Makers, Wood
Closeness 90/100
- Analyze
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Closeness 90/100
- Analyze
Bakers
Closeness 90/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
Closeness 90/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Machine Feeders and Offbearers
Closeness 90/100 · job zone -1
Find more alternativesCompare skills with another job
O*NET-SOC 51-9195.05 · SOC 51-9195 (detailed_parent, medium confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8