Coiling (pottery)

Coiling is a method of creating pottery. The coiling technique is used to construct ceramic vessels through the repeated winding of long, cylindrical pieces of clay on top of one another. This technique can be used in combination with other techniques such as: throwing on a potter's wheel, slab building, wheel coiling, beating, and pinching.

The benefits of coiling as compared to throwing on a potter's wheel are that coiling allows for greater variety in the shape of the vessel: coiled vessels can be any shape, with more extreme fluctuations in the walls by allowing the clay to dry in-between building stages.

Coiling does not require a potter's wheel—as it is a hand-building technique—but the wheel can be used to make a vessel more symmetrical. Symmetry is beneficial because round vessels are less likely to crack under intense heat and are more durable than organic, asymmetrical structures.

The coiling technique has been used throughout history by numerous civilizations and cultures, including in Europe, Egypt, North America, and Asia. Some coil-built pottery dates back to the Early Neolithic era.