Slip (ceramics)

A slip is a clay slurry used to produce pottery and other ceramic wares. Liquified clay, in which there is no fixed ratio of water and clay, is called slip or clay slurry which is used either for joining leather-hard (semi-hardened) clay body (pieces of pottery) together by slipcasting with mould, glazing or decorating the pottery by painting or dipping the pottery with slip. Pottery on which slip has been applied either for glazing or decoration is called slipware.

Engobe, from the French word for slip, is a related term for a liquid suspension of clays and flux, in addition to fillers and other materials. This is in contrast to slips, which are historically considered to be a liquid suspension of only clay or clays in water.

Engobes are commonly used in ceramic industry and are typically used to mask the appearance of the underlying clay body. They can be sprayed onto pieces in a similar method to glaze and through the addition of coloring oxides they can achieve a wide variety of colors, though not with the same vibrancy as glazes. Among artists engobes are often confused with slip, and the term is sometimes used interchangeably.