Best Glue for Fixing Pottery: A Comprehensive Guide

The best glue for fixing pottery is a two-part epoxy. It fills small gaps, dries clear or near-clear, handles heat and moisture better than other adhesives, and creates a bond that often ends up stronger than the surrounding clay. For a clean break with two pieces that fit together perfectly, a gel-formula cyanoacrylate (super glue gel) is a faster, simpler second choice.

Which one you reach for depends on the break, the clay, and how the piece will be used. Below I cover the glues I use on my own repairs, how the main adhesive types compare, the exact steps for gluing ceramic back together, and what to use for kintsugi-style gold repairs.

Which Type of Glue Works Best on Pottery?

Not all adhesives behave the same way on fired clay. Pottery is porous (earthenware especially), rigid, and often used around heat and water, so the glue needs to cope with all three.

Glue type	Best for	Set time	Full cure	Heat/water resistance	Gap filling
Two-part epoxy	Most pottery repairs, multi-piece breaks, missing chips	5–30 min	24–72 hours	Good	Excellent
Super glue gel (cyanoacrylate)	Clean two-piece breaks on dense, glazed ceramic	10–60 sec	24 hours	Fair	Poor
Moldable silicone (Sugru-type)	Handles, rims, gap repairs, non-structural fixes	Holds shape immediately	24–48 hours	Excellent	Excellent
Kintsugi epoxy with gold powder	Decorative visible-seam repairs	30–60 min	24–48 hours	Good	Excellent
PVA / white craft glue	Nothing fired (avoid on finished pottery)	n/a	n/a	Poor	Poor

A few rules of thumb from my own repair bench:

Earthenware and terracotta are porous and drink up thin glue. Epoxy or a gel-formula adhesive works far better than runny super glue, which soaks in before it can bond.
Stoneware and porcelain are dense and vitrified, so clean breaks bond well with either epoxy or super glue gel.
Unfired clay can’t be glued. If a piece breaks before firing, glue won’t survive the kiln. Slip and scoring, or magic water, is the fix at that stage. Once a piece has been fired to maturity (cone 04 for most earthenware, around 1,945°F / 1,063°C, up to cone 6–10 for stoneware), adhesive repair is the only option.

Best Glue for Fixing Pottery

After testing a range of adhesives on my own broken pieces, these are the ones I keep coming back to.

Sugru by Tesa – All Purpose Super Glue, Moldable Craft Glue for Indoor & Outdoor

Sugru by Tesa - All Purpose Super Glue

Sugru isn’t a liquid glue at all. It’s a moldable silicone putty, and that makes it the right tool for a set of repairs that liquid adhesives handle badly.

Pros

Sugru is a moldable glue that fixes almost anything, from broken zippers to frayed charger cables.
The cured silicone is waterproof and heat-resistant, and it holds up outdoors as well as in the kitchen.
It’s non-toxic and mess-free, so you can use it with your kids over the age of three.

Cons

Sugru is designed to air dry, so you can’t store it for later use. Each pack is essentially a single-use portion.
Depending on the thickness of the application, it can take up to 48 hours for Sugru to fully set.
While Sugru is temperature-resistant and strong, it’s not recommended for use with high voltage or current.

I used Sugru on a broken pot lid not long ago. Molding it to fit the broken pieces took maybe two minutes. It set within 24 hours and held up well even after several uses in the kitchen.

Sugru is designed for thin layers. If you build it up thicker, expect a longer wait before it sets.

Sugru shines where rigid glues fail: rebuilding a chipped rim, reattaching a handle, or filling a gap where a sliver of clay went missing. For a structural break on a vase or mug body, I’d still reach for epoxy first.

Sugru All Purpose Super Glue

This is the same moldable silicone in a different pack format, and it covers the same jobs: fixing, bonding, and rebuilding small parts.

Pros

The moldable silicone formula applies quickly, and it’s waterproof plus heat and cold resistant.
The glue is non-toxic, non-runny, and toy-safe, so it suits indoor and outdoor projects alike.
The all-purpose glue doesn’t leave a mark and is easy to remove with a knife, scalpel, or Sugru remover.

Cons

The glue comes in a single-use pack, and it may not be enough for larger projects.
The glue takes up to 48 hours to set for heavier applications.
The expiration date is relatively short, so check the date before you buy.

I used this version to fix a chipped ceramic vase, and the glue was easy to mold and apply, holding the broken pieces together securely. It’s waterproof and heat-resistant, so it works for outdoor planters too. For a larger item I needed multiple packs, and heavier applications took the full 48 hours to set. Plan for that before you start.

Sdintar Stone Glue

Sdintar Stone Glue earned its spot on my shelf after one repair. It goes on without fuss and bonds ceramic to ceramic, or to other materials, with real strength.

Pros

The glue has a super viscosity, making it easy to achieve tight bonding between the same material or different materials in seconds.
The precision tips give you more accuracy, freedom, and control during application.
It is non-toxic and safe to handle.

Cons

The packaging may be difficult to open for some users.
The glue may dry out if not stored correctly.
It may not work as well on very large or heavy pieces of pottery.

I used this glue to fix a ceramic vase, and it grabbed the pieces within seconds. The glue is transparent and colorless, which matters on light-colored glazes where a tinted adhesive would show. The precision tips made it easy to apply the glue exactly along the break line without flooding the surrounding glaze.

It’s also waterproof, so it suits pottery that gets splashed now and then. As with any adhesive repair, though, waterproof means splash-proof, not dishwasher-proof.

BARBIZON WAGON Kintsugi Repair Kit

If you’d rather make the break part of the design than hide it, the BARBIZON WAGON Kintsugi Repair Kit gives you everything to try it.

Pros

The kit includes everything you need to repair broken pottery, including gloves, brushes, stirring rod, container pan, and more.
The curing time is only 30 minutes at room temperature, so you aren’t tied up all day.
The kit is suitable for beginners and can be used to repair a variety of materials, including ceramic, glass, stone, and woodwork.

Cons

The instructions included in the kit are poorly translated and can be difficult to understand.
The epoxy may take longer to harden if the temperature is low.
Some users have reported that the epoxy never fully hardens, leaving the repaired area tacky and soft.

I used this kit to repair a broken ceramic vase, and the gold powder turned the crack into the most interesting part of the piece. That’s the whole point of kintsugi.

The included instructions were poorly translated, and I had to watch a few YouTube videos to fully understand the process. The epoxy also took longer to harden than the 30 minutes advertised, likely because my workspace was cold; keep the room around 68–77°F (20–25°C) for the cure times on the label to hold true.

Gorilla Super Glue Gel XL

Gorilla Super Glue Gel XL is my pick for fast fixes on clean breaks. It’s strong, and the gel formula stays where you put it.

Pros

The gel formula makes it easy to use on vertical surfaces without any dripping.
The anti-clog cap ensures that the glue doesn’t dry out and remains usable.
The glue is impact-resistant and dries quickly in just 10-45 seconds.

Cons

The glue isn’t recommended for use on polyethylene or polypropylene plastic or similar materials.
Excess glue can cause delayed or failed bonding.
Gaps and uneven surfaces may cause delayed bonding.

I used Gorilla Super Glue Gel XL to fix a ceramic vase that had broken into several pieces. The glue was easy to apply with the nozzle and didn’t drip at all. I held the pieces together for under a minute per joint, and the vase looks as good as new.

Use a thin bead only; excess glue slows or weakens the bond. And remember the gel can’t fill gaps, so it only suits breaks where the edges mate cleanly. I’ve covered whether Gorilla Glue is right for pottery in more detail separately, including which Gorilla products to avoid on ceramic.

How to Glue Ceramics Back Together: Step by Step

Whatever glue you choose, technique decides whether the repair holds. Here’s the process I use:

Dry-fit first. Assemble the pieces without glue so you know the order they go back together. On multi-piece breaks, gluing in the wrong order can lock a piece out.
Clean the break edges. Wash with warm soapy water, rinse, and let the pieces dry completely, at least a few hours for porous earthenware. Wipe the edges with rubbing alcohol; any dust, grease, or old glue ruins the bond.
Apply a thin layer of adhesive. For epoxy, mix equal parts resin and hardener and spread a thin coat on one edge only. For super glue gel, run a fine bead along one edge. More glue is not stronger. It just pushes the pieces apart.
Press and align. Join the pieces with firm pressure and check the seam by running a fingernail across it. You should barely feel the line.
Hold or tape. Hold for 1–2 minutes (super glue) or tape the joint with masking tape and support the piece in a box of sand or rice so gravity works for you (epoxy).
Wait for the full cure. Quick-set times are working times, not strength. Give epoxy 24–72 hours before the piece carries any load.
Clean up squeeze-out. Scrape softened epoxy off the glaze with a wooden tool before it hardens fully, or carefully razor it off after curing.

For a deeper walkthrough of the taping and support setup, see my full guide on how to glue pottery back together. If the piece shattered into fragments too small to reassemble, there are still good uses for broken pottery: mosaics, pot drainage shards, and garden markers among them.

If you’re dealing with a hairline crack rather than a clean break, glue often isn’t the answer at all. I cover those repairs in how to fix cracks in fired pottery.

Best Glue for Kintsugi

Traditional kintsugi uses urushi lacquer dusted with real gold. It’s beautiful, but the lacquer takes weeks to cure and can cause skin reactions while wet. For home repairs, the practical choice is a clear two-part epoxy mixed with mica or brass “gold” powder, which is exactly what most beginner kintsugi kits (like the BARBIZON WAGON kit above) contain.

A few things I’ve learned doing kintsugi-style repairs:

Mix the gold powder into the epoxy before applying, rather than dusting it on after. You get a more even metallic line.
Work one seam at a time. Epoxy’s working window is short, and rushing multiple joints leads to misalignment.
Slightly proud seams look better than flush ones. The raised gold line is the aesthetic; don’t sand it flat.
Epoxy-based kintsugi is decorative. A gold-seamed bowl should hold fruit or keys, not soup.

Buying Guide

When choosing the best glue for fixing pottery, a few key features separate a repair that lasts from one that fails in a month.

Type of Glue

Cyanoacrylate (super glue), two-part epoxy, and moldable silicone each suit different jobs (see the comparison table above). Match the adhesive to the break: epoxy for gaps and load-bearing joints, super glue gel for clean snap-together breaks, silicone for non-structural rebuilds.

Strength

You want a bond that holds up over time, not just in the first week. Look for a glue specifically rated for ceramics or stone, and check the cure strength rather than the set time on the packaging.

Drying Time

Some glues set in seconds, others need overnight. For a multi-piece break, a slower-setting epoxy gives you time to align the pieces; for a simple two-piece fix, fast-setting gel saves you from holding the joint for an hour.

Color

If the crack will be visible, choose a glue that dries clear — or lean into it and go gold with a kintsugi kit. Tinted or amber-curing adhesives stand out badly on white porcelain.

Application Method

Squeeze tubes with precision tips give the most control along a thin break line. Two-part epoxies that need mixing are messier but fill gaps that a tube glue can’t. If you need to smooth a cured epoxy fill flush with the surface, a rotary tool with a fine sanding bit makes quick, controlled work of it.

FAQ

What is the best glue for broken pottery?

A two-part epoxy is the best all-around choice for broken pottery. It bonds porous and dense clay bodies alike, fills small gaps and chips, resists heat and moisture once cured, and dries clear. Budget roughly $5–$15 for a quality tube or syringe, which is enough for many repairs.

Can I use super glue to fix pottery?

Yes, for clean breaks on dense, glazed ceramic. Use a gel formula, not a runny liquid. The limitations: super glue can’t fill gaps, dries brittle, and tolerates heat poorly, so it’s the wrong choice for anything that sees the oven, repeated hot washing, or load-bearing stress.

How do you glue ceramics back together?

Clean and fully dry the broken edges, wipe them with rubbing alcohol, apply a thin layer of adhesive to one edge, press the pieces together, and tape or support the joint while it cures (24 to 72 hours for epoxy). Dry-fit multi-piece breaks first so you glue them in the right order.

What is the best glue for kintsugi?

Clear two-part epoxy mixed with gold mica or brass powder is the practical choice for home kintsugi. Traditional urushi lacquer with real gold is authentic but takes weeks to cure and can irritate skin. Beginner kintsugi kits typically run $20–$60 and include the epoxy, powder, and tools.

Is glued pottery food safe?

No. Even adhesives marketed as food-safe shouldn’t sit in direct, repeated contact with food or drink, and glued seams trap bacteria. Keep repaired pieces decorative, and check my guide on how to tell if pottery is food safe before using any piece for serving.

Can glued pottery go in the dishwasher or microwave?

No. Dishwasher heat and detergent break down epoxy and super glue bonds over time, and microwave heating stresses the joint unevenly. Hand-wash repaired pieces gently in warm water, not hot.

Should I glue antique or valuable pottery myself?

For anything with real monetary or sentimental value, consult a professional ceramics restorer first. Restorers use reversible conservation adhesives; a DIY epoxy repair is permanent and can significantly reduce an antique’s value.