Per kilo, per piece or flat rate? The six pricing models compared
Which firing-cost model fits your studio? The six common models side by side, each with its ideal fit, its catch, and its monthly effort.
In the complete guide to firing costs we introduced the six common pricing models briefly. This post goes one level deeper: it compares the models head to head, so you can pick the right one for your studio. For each model we look at three questions: who is it for, where is the catch, and how much work is it at the end of the month?
One idea runs through all of them: in every model, someone carries the risk for glaze, breakage and kiln space. The interesting question is always whether that risk sits with the studio or with the members.
1. All-inclusive
How it works: A monthly fee or hour package with material and firings included. Nothing is weighed and nothing is billed separately.
Who it is for: Class-focused studios and memberships where simplicity matters more than exact cost recovery. If you do not want a scale next to the kiln, this is your model.
The catch: The studio carries all the risk. A member who fires a lot, and big, costs you more but pays the same. You work with averages and hope they hold.
Effort: Minimal. No weighing, no line items. In return you need a well-chosen flat fee, or you lose money.
2. Flat rate per weight
How it works: A single price per kilo covers clay, glazes and both firings. Usually weighed once, after the bisque firing.
Who it is for: Studios that want to bill fairly by usage but only keep one number in mind. A good middle ground between a flat fee and detailed billing.
The catch: The studio still carries the glaze and space risk, because everything sits in one price. A piece with an elaborate glaze costs you more but earns the same.
Effort: Low. One weigh-in per piece, one bill.
3. Simple per-kilo rate
How it works: A fixed price per kilo regardless of firing type, billed per firing. A piece through a bisque and a glaze firing is billed twice.
Who it is for: Studios that want to pass on the firing directly and can live with a single rate. Clear and easy to explain.
The catch: One rate for all temperatures reflects the real energy cost only roughly. The expensive high firing subsidises the cheap bisque firing, or the other way around.
Effort: Low to medium. You weigh per firing, not per piece, so more often.
4. Per-kilo rate tiered by temperature
How it works: The price depends on firing temperature, usually in two or three tiers. The bisque firing is cheapest, the high glaze firing most expensive.
Who it is for: The most common model, and the right choice for most studios. It reflects energy costs realistically and feels fair to members, because expensive firings cost more.
The catch: A little more to explain than a single rate. In return it spreads the cost cleanly and nobody feels short-changed.
Effort: Medium. Weigh per firing and assign the right temperature tier. Tedious in a spreadsheet, one click in the right tool.
5. Per-kilo rate plus separate material cost
How it works: Firing and material are tracked and shown separately, for example nine euros per kilo firing plus five euros per kilo material.
Who it is for: Studios that want maximum transparency, or that have to separate material and firing for their bookkeeping.
The catch: Two line items instead of one mean more upkeep and more questions at the counter. The gain in transparency has to be worth the extra work.
Effort: Medium to high. Two separate figures per piece or member.
6. Per-kilo with member/external, minimum and exceptions
How it works: The tiered model, extended with member and external rates, minimum prices, rounding, and special cases such as fixed prices for plates.
Who it is for: Studios with a firing service for external customers, or with special rules that grew over time. If you fire for non-members, you can hardly avoid member/external rates.
The catch: This is where the spreadsheet loses track. Each special rule makes sense on its own, but together they turn the monthly bill into busywork.
Effort: High, if you do it by hand. This exact model is the reason many studios eventually go looking for a tool.
Which model fits you?
As a rough orientation:
- Mostly running classes and want no scale? Model 1 (all-inclusive).
- Want to bill fairly by usage but stay simple? Model 2 or 4.
- Looking for the proven standard? Model 4 (tiered) plus a minimum price and a member discount covers most studios.
- Offering a firing service for external customers? Model 6 is unavoidable.
Start simple
The most common mistake is starting too complex. Take the simplest model that fits your studio, and only add special rules when reality demands them. A minimum price, because tiny pieces otherwise are not worth it. An external rate, because the first firing-service customer is at the door. Every rule should earn its place.
That is exactly how WheelOwl is built: you pick a base model and switch rules on or off, each with a few parameters. Billing then runs on its own, however fine-grained your model is.
When you are ready, you can map your price rules in WheelOwl.
Join the waitlist and be among the first studios on board.