AMACO Brent Product Updates
We’re committed to keeping you informed about important updates to our products, packaging, and related information. This page serves as a central place to share the latest changes, answer common questions, and provide any details you may need. Check back here for the most up-to-date product information and updates from AMACO.
Label Updates & The Use of Temporary Labels - October 2026
We’d like to start by thanking our customers for their continued patience and support as we work through our label updates. We appreciate your understanding during this transition!
As we work toward introducing our updated label artwork, some products may continue to ship with temporary labels. These labels will only remain in use until we transition to our new label designs. TEMPORARY labels will look like this:
Or they will look like this:
Please note that the information on these temporary labels is the same as on our standard product labels, except that the glaze tile image will not appear.
While these labels may look a little different from what you're used to, they are part of our ongoing efforts to keep products moving to your local distributor without interruption.
So, what will the new label artwork look like?
New labels will have a glaze tile image on them AND a #howiamaco icon beneath the barcode, as seen in the image below:
Please note that the label design may vary slightly across glaze series; however, the #howiamaco icon will always appear under the barcode.
Dinnerware & Food Safety
In ceramics, food safe means a finished, fired piece does not release lead & cadmium above strict legal limits when in contact with food or drink.
Are AMACO glazes food safe?
Yes, all AMACO glazes are tested for lead and cadmium release in accordance with ASTM C738-94.
Are AMACO underglazes food safe?
AMACO underglazes are not for food contact unless covered with a glaze tested for lead and cadmium release in accordance with ASTM C738-94.
How do you know which icons mean what on an AMACO glaze or underglaze?
So ALL AMACO glazes will have the food safe icon on them?
Yes, all AMACO glazes will carry the food safe icon as seen above. All of our glazes are legally food safe because they are tested for lead and cadmium in accordance with ASTM C738-94. This is a legal requirement to meet the definition of food safe under FDA guidelines.
The icons on the left all indicate food safety but the information on the right makes it sound like some of them are not food safe like Palladium for example which used to carry a "Not Food Safe" icon.
Previously, some of our glazes included the “Not Food Safe” icon because we had not clearly distinguished between “not food safe” and “not dinnerware safe.” These terms have different meanings, and the previous labeling did not accurately reflect that distinction. We’re clarifying the terminology to ensure the icons and accompanying information communicate the correct usage and safety guidelines.
Dinnerware safety refers to the durability of a glaze, meaning it’s chemically durable enough to resist scratching or erosion from acidic foods. To make a piece truly dinnerware safe, everything must line up perfectly. There are just too many variables for us to test in our factory, including:
- Your Clay Choice: A glaze might stick beautifully to one stoneware clay but microscopically crack (craze) on another.
- Your Kiln Firing: Even a few degrees of difference in how your kiln fires can change how tough and sealed the final surface becomes.
- Your Application: If the glaze is applied too thick, too thin, or over textured clay, it behaves differently.
Because we can't test every combination of clay and kiln, we certify that the glaze won't leach toxins into your food, but customers have to test the final durability in your own studio.
We have certain glazes (like our Cosmos or Kiln Ice ) that we do not recommend for food surfaces. Even though they pass the food safety requirements, their final fired form is either too soft or has tiny cracks that will scratch under metal forks and trap food bacteria over time. So, we recommend keeping these specialty glazes on the outside of your pieces and using our smooth, glossy glazes for surfaces that touch food.
In summary, that’s why we have the different columns in the image above to help distinguish which products we do not recommend for use on dinnerware surfaces. The Statement Accompanying the Icon in that column above will also be printed on labels.
THANK YOU!
We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we work through these updates and keep products moving. Thank you for supporting our products and the AMACO team; we couldn’t do this without you!
Label Updates & The Use of Temporary Labels - August/ September 2026
First, we wanted to say thank you to all our customers for your patience and understanding as we work through all our label updates. We truly appreciate all of you!
We are updating certain product labels and may temporarily use alternative labels to help ensure products continue to ship to your local distributor without interruption. Please note that the information on these temporary labels is the same as on our standard product labels, except that there will be no glaze tile image on them.
These temporary labels are part of our ongoing efforts to maintain accurate product information while ensuring a smooth and timely delivery of your AMACO products.
Along with redacted labels, some pint-sized products may feature the generic label stock we normally use for gallon products. Those labels would look like this:
We will also use white-stock labels to ensure timely product delivery as we work through our edits. Those labels will look like this:
The AMACO Marketing graphic designers are hard at work updating all our label artwork while we use these temporary labels. We appreciate all of your patience and understanding, and truly could not be AMACO without all of our customers.
As a reminder, nothing has changed in the formulation of our products. We are making this change to comply with state labeling regulations. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our customer support team at customercare@amaco.live.
Packaging Update - July 2026
We're sharing an update on our product labels, and thank you for your patience throughout this process. AMACO products with updated labels that include redacted information are now shipping.
We made these redactions as a precaution while we review California labeling requirements and improve the clarity of the information we present to our customers. Our team is actively working on future label updates to make product information easier to understand and more helpful for the end user. We appreciate your grace and understanding as we work through these improvements.
Most importantly, the redactions on our labels do not indicate any changes to our product formulations. The products inside remain the same trusted formulas you know and rely on. These updates are limited to the information displayed on the label and do not reflect any changes to product performance, quality, or safety. Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work to provide the clearest, most accurate labeling possible. Thank you for using AMACO products!!
Packaging Update - June 2026
You may notice some markings on our labeling. These are temporary as we transition to new labeling to ensure compliance with California labeling law. The new labeling does NOT mean anything has changed in the formulation of our products, nor does it mean our products are unsafe for use. We are making this change to minimize frivolous lawsuits.
California has very broad chemical warning and advertising laws that allow a plaintiff to file failure-to-warn and false-advertising lawsuits and recover penalties and attorneys’ fees, even if the product is safe to use and no one was injured. Given that many companies targeted with these lawsuits pass the cost of six-figure litigation settlements on to customers, we have decided to revise our labeling now to avoid this possibility and keep our focus on our customers. We have offered quality products to our customers for decades and are grateful to them for their trust in us. Our products are regularly tested and evaluated for their safety.
Since 1940, AMACO products have been certified by the Art & Creative Materials Institute, which requires our products to be evaluated for safety by board-certified toxicologists using ASTM test methods. You will see that our labels carry two seals.
The Approved Product “AP” seal.
This signifies the product is safe for all ages when used as intended.
The Cautionary Label “CL” seal.
This advises that the glaze product contains soluble copper, which, if ingested in sufficient quantities, can irritate the stomach lining.
In addition, all AMACO glazes and underglazes are tested for lead and cadmium in compliance with industry-standard ASTM test methods C927/C738, and they also meet the FDA’s guidelines for dinnerware safety.
Finally, AMACO products continue to be labeled in accordance with the Federal standards of the “Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act” (LHAMA). In fact, the Art & Creative Materials Institute’s certification program served as the framework for developing the Federal standards.