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Kiln Pot Spacing Calculator

Check two round pots, or one pot and a probe, against the gap you want to keep. Enter the two centres or just the distance between them, the radii and the gap, and see whether there is enough room and how much is missing.

Result

Enough room

centres 8 cm apart, at least 8 cm needed · free gap between the edges 1 cm
8 cm

Geometry and arithmetic only. It does not check the load, the elements, the heat or the safety of a firing: follow your kiln maker's manual.

How it works

  1. Choose between two pots and a pot with a probe, and pick a unit.
  2. Enter the two centres as x and y, or switch to the distance between centres.
  3. Enter the radius of each pot (0 for a probe) and the gap you want to keep.
  4. Read the distance needed, the free gap between the edges and what is missing, then copy the result.

What people use it for

  • Two big pots side by side

    See if a 1 cm gap holds for a 4 cm and a 3 cm radius at 8 cm between centres.

  • Keeping clear of the probe

    Check a pot against the thermocouple with the clearance written in your manual.

  • Sharing a plan

    Copy the figures without photos of your studio.

Questions

What is the rule?
Two circles keep a gap g when the distance between their centres is at least r1 + r2 + g. For a probe, choose “A pot and a probe”: the probe counts as a circle of radius 0 and the clearance is the gap. If you enter coordinates, the distance is sqrt((x2 − x1)² + (y2 − y1)²).
What gap should I keep from the probe or the elements?
The page does not know. That distance comes from your kiln maker's manual, and the page only compares your numbers with it.
What does a negative free gap mean?
The two pots overlap in the drawing by that length: the centres are closer than the sum of the radii.
Does it cover pots that are not round?
Only through the smallest circle that holds each pot as seen from above. That is cautious for long shapes and the page does not model them otherwise.