Enter the length, width, and height of the original clay and the percentage shrinkage to determine the final dimensions of the clay.

Clay Shrinkage Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the final dimensions of clay after shrinking. 

L,W,H = OL,OW,OH * (1-CS/100)
  • Where L,W,H are the final length, width, and height
  • OL,OW,OH are the orignal length, width, and height of the clay
  • CS is the clay shrinkage percentage (%)
    • clay shrinkage averages between 10-20% of the original size

What is clay shrinkage?

Definition:

Clay shrinkage is a process in which clay shrinks after it dries out. As moisture evaporates from the clay, the clay fills in the space previously occupied by the water and shrinks in overall size.

How to calculate clay shrinkage?

Example Problem:

The following example problem outlines how to calculate the final dimensions of clay after shrinkage.

First, determine the original length, width, and height of the clay object.

In this example, the length is 5 inches, the width is 4 inches, and the height is 6 inches.

Next, determine the clay shrinkage percent. In this case, we will use an average of 15% clay shrinkage.

Finally, calculate the final dimensions using the formula above:

L = OL* (1-CS/100) = 5 * (1-15/100) = 4.25inches

W = OW* (1-CS/100) = 4 * (1-15/100) = 3.4 inches

H = OH* (1-CS/100) = 6 * (1-15/100) = 5.1 inches