The stable form of nickel oxide, for grays, browns, muted greens and crystalline glazes.
You must test before you use it, at any scale. Raw materials, mined or man-made, are not consistent. Color, strength, particle size and chemistry can change from one bag to the next and from one supplier to another, even when the name on the bag stays the same. Before you use this material in a glaze, slip or clay body of any size, mix a small test batch, fire it on your own clay in your own kiln, and check the results.
What it is
A gray-green powder. Despite the name, it doesn't reliably make green glazes. Nickel gives quiet, earthy colors (grays, tans, browns and olive greens) and is often used to soften brighter colors. In high-zinc glazes it can give blues or purples.
Getting started
- Start at 0.5 to 1% (half a gram to 1 gram per 100 grams of dry glaze). Most glazes use 3% or less.
- Recipes usually name either green or black nickel oxide. They give similar colors, but test before swapping one for the other.
- Sieve the wet glaze through an 80-mesh screen to avoid specks.
For glaze formulators
- Nickel(II) oxide, NiO. This is the form nickel ends up in after firing, so it releases no gas.
- Refractory: higher amounts push glazes toward matte and dry.
- Base matters: magnesium bases give greens and tans; high-zinc bases can give blues and purples; with cobalt it gives grays and gray-blues.
Safety
- Nickel compounds may cause cancer if inhaled and often cause skin allergies. Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator (N95 or better) and gloves when handling it dry. Clean up with a wet sponge, not a broom.
- Avoid nickel glazes on food surfaces unless the finished glaze has been lab-tested.
Sizes & pricing
| Size | Price | Per lb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb | $50.40 | $50.40 | Add to cart |
| 5 lb | $240.00 | $48.00 | Add to cart |
| 10 lb | $456.00 | $45.60 | Add to cart |
| 25 lb | $1,080.00 | $43.20 | Add to cart |
| 50 lb bag | $1,800.00 | $36.00 | Add to cart |
Full bags mix and match. Every full bag in your order, of any raw material, adds up. That total sets the price of every bag. Smaller sizes don't count.
This bag's price stays the same at every level, but it still counts toward your full-bag total.
Prices from our October 23, 2026 price list.
Frequently Asked Questions
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