Quick-Ship vs Made-to-Order Kilns: Lead Times and What You Give Up (2026)

Updated October 2026 · By the Peach State Pottery team

“How long until I get it?” is the second question almost every kiln buyer asks, right after price. It is also the question the industry answers worst — partly because the honest answer is longer than anyone wants to hear, and partly because the two ways of buying a kiln are rarely explained side by side.

So here is the whole picture: why kilns take so long, what quick-ship actually is, what it costs you in flexibility, and how to work out which one you should be buying.

Why almost every kiln is made to order

A kiln is not a mass-market product. Take a single model — say an 18-inch top-loader — and consider what a buyer might need: 240V or 208V, single phase or three phase, a basic controller or a programmable one, two zones or three, a lid lift or not, a particular element configuration for the cone they fire to. Multiply those out and a single model becomes dozens of distinct builds.

No manufacturer can warehouse that. So they don't. They build when the order arrives.

This is true across the board, not just at one brand. Jen-Ken states it directly in their own FAQ: every kiln is custom-built to order, with one small bead annealer as the exception. Cress builds to order. Olympic builds to order. The question is not whether your kiln is made to order — it almost certainly is — but whether the model you want happens to be one of the few that is also kept pre-built.

The second reason is less obvious and more structural: kilns are heavy, bulky and low-volume. Storing finished kilns ties up warehouse space and cash for a product that might sit for months. Building to order moves that cost off the manufacturer's balance sheet. It is a rational decision for them, and the delay is the part that lands on you.

What quick-ship actually is

Quick-ship is a manufacturer keeping a handful of popular configurations pre-built so they can skip the queue. It is not a dealer stocking arrangement and it is not a shipping upgrade — it is a different place in the production line.

Olympic runs the only published program among the brands we carry. From their own quick-ship page, verbatim:

“Olympic is building select models for fast shipping. These models will be available for shipping in 2 weeks or less from receipt of order.”

The models they name:

Model	As Olympic lists it	Our price as of October 2026
Champ XL Glass Kiln	120 volt	$1,305.15
MAS1823HE	240 volt	$2,184.00
MAS2327HE	240 volt	$3,388.35

You will see the Quick Ship Studio Package option on a few more of our Olympic listings than the three above. Those are models we can usually move quickly, but the three in this table are the ones Olympic itself publishes. Before you order any kiln on a deadline, call and let us confirm the current build status with the factory — that takes us one phone call and it is the difference between a date you can plan around and a date you are hoping for.

One footnote for the detail-minded: Olympic's quick-ship page still names the RTC-1000 and V6-CF controllers, which are the previous generation. Their current builds use KilnStar and Genesis. The program is live; the page copy is simply behind.

How it works on our product pages

We do not sell quick-ship as a separate product. On the Olympic models that offer it, you choose the build on the kiln's own page:

Option	Lead time	Price	Includes
Standard Build	12–15 weeks	Listed price	The kiln, specified how you want it
Quick Ship Studio Package	2–3 weeks	Listed price + an upcharge that varies by model	The kiln as built, plus the matching Olympic furniture kit

That furniture kit matters more than it sounds. On the MAS1823HE the quick-ship upcharge is $549 and the kit included is valued at $385 — so the real premium for cutting roughly three months off the wait is closer to $164. On the HB89E the upcharge is $229 against a $108 kit, so about $121.

Framed that way, quick-ship is usually a better deal than the sticker suggests — provided you were going to buy the furniture anyway. And as we argue in our starter guide, you were.

What quick-ship takes away

This is the part that deserves more attention than it usually gets. Olympic's own line is one sentence long:

“Model voltage and controller cannot be changed.”

A pre-built kiln is pre-built. Everything that would normally be a decision has already been made. In practice that means:

• Voltage is fixed. If your shop is 208V — common in commercial buildings and in a lot of school districts — a 240V quick-ship kiln is not a fit. It will run, badly, at reduced power and reduced top temperature. That is not a kiln you want.
• Phase is fixed. Single phase only. Three-phase installations are a made-to-order conversation.
• The controller is fixed. You get what is in the box. If you specifically want a Genesis touchscreen, or specifically want the simpler option because it is going in a classroom where simplicity is a feature, that is a custom build.
• Factory options are off the table. Zone configurations, lid lifts, Electro Sitters, collars and extension rings, wall-mounted units — all of these are specified when a kiln is built, which means never on a kiln that is already built.

There is also a quieter restriction worth knowing about. Industry guidance on Olympic's program is that quick-ship builds come with standard voltage, single phase, the standard controller and mechanical relays — and that asking for solid-state relays pushes you back into the custom queue. Olympic's own “voltage and controller cannot be changed” line is consistent with that, though we have not had it confirmed in writing. If relays matter to your application, ask.

What made-to-order gives you

The flip side is that a custom build is genuinely custom. You are not picking from a shelf; you are specifying a machine.

• Voltage and phase to match your building. 208V, 240V, single or three phase. This alone is the reason most commercial and institutional orders go custom.
• Controller choice. Across the Olympic range that spans a basic controller, the KilnStar, and the Genesis. Different price, different capability, different learning curve.
• Zone control. Multi-zone kilns correct top-to-bottom temperature drift automatically. On a tall chamber that is the difference between even glazes and a shelf of seconds.
• Physical options. Lid lifts for anyone who would rather not haul a heavy lid twice a firing. Extension rings for taller work. Wall units where floor space is short.
• The full catalogue. Quick-ship covers a handful of models. Made-to-order covers everything we sell — every size, every brand, every configuration.

And one thing worth weighing that has nothing to do with speed: on Olympic, warranty length depends on the build. Olympic's own warranty terms give one year to kilns equipped with a kiln sitter and safety timer and to cone 10 kilns, and two years to everything else. That is the manufacturer pricing its own risk, and it is a legitimate input into the specification conversation.

Lead times, honestly

Here is where we will be straight with you rather than tidy. Olympic publishes a quick-ship figure and no standard figure. The 12–15 week number for a standard build is what the trade reports and what we quote; it is not published by the manufacturer.

Route	Lead time	Source
Olympic quick-ship, the three published models	2 weeks or less	Olympic's own quick-ship page
Our Quick Ship Studio Package	2–3 weeks	The option as sold on our product pages
Olympic standard build	12–15 weeks	Dealer-reported; Olympic publishes no standard figure
Every other brand we carry	Confirm at order	No manufacturer in our range publishes a reliable current figure
Accessories, shelves and furniture	Days, not weeks	Stocked

We would rather print “confirm at order” than a number we cannot stand behind. Lead times move with the factory's order book, and a figure that was accurate in spring can be badly wrong by autumn. The one thing we will commit to is this: ask us before you order and we will call the factory, rather than reading you a number off a web page.

Add shipping on top of any build time. Freight transit across the lower 48 is typically several days to a week and a half once the kiln leaves the factory, and the carrier will call you to book a delivery appointment.

Which should you buy?

You have a market, a class or a commission with a date on it

Quick-ship, if one of the three published models suits your work. Three months is a season. If you are planning to sell at holiday markets and it is already October, a standard build will not arrive in time and no amount of asking will change that.

The MAS1823HE at $2,184.00 is the one most of these buyers land on — it is our most-ordered kiln of the past six months, and the furniture kit coming with it means you can fire the week it arrives.

Your building is 208V or three phase

Made-to-order, and it is not a close call. Running a 240V kiln on 208V power costs you roughly a quarter of your wattage, which means longer firings, elements working harder, and a top temperature you may not reach at all. Specify the right voltage and wait for it.

You are buying your first kiln and have no deadline

Either, and the decision becomes purely financial. Work out the real premium: upcharge minus the value of the furniture kit you were going to buy anyway. On the models we have checked that lands between roughly $120 and $165 — which is a modest amount to pay for three months of your life.

If the standard build is what you wanted anyway, quick-ship is close to free. If you want a different controller, it is not an option at any price.

You are a school or a shared studio

Usually made-to-order. Institutional buildings are frequently 208V or three phase, classroom kilns benefit from specific controller choices, and procurement timelines are long enough that a 12–15 week build is rarely the binding constraint. Start with commercial quotes, and ask about the educational discount.

You want a big kiln, a front-loader, or anything unusual

Made-to-order, because that is the only way those exist. Nothing in large capacity or front-loading is pre-built by anyone. Plan the timeline into your project from the start.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get a kiln?

For a standard Olympic build, about 12–15 weeks, plus freight. For one of Olympic's quick-ship models, their published figure is two weeks or less from receipt of order, and we quote 2–3 weeks to be safe. Other brands vary and we will confirm with the factory before you order.

Is quick-ship worth the extra money?

Usually, because the upcharge includes the matching furniture kit. On the MAS1823HE the upcharge is $549 and the kit is valued at $385, so the real cost of the time saved is around $164. If you were buying furniture anyway — and you were — that is good value. If you need a non-standard voltage or controller, the question does not arise, because quick-ship cannot give you one.

Can I customise a quick-ship kiln?

No. Olympic's own wording is that model voltage and controller cannot be changed. The kiln is already built. If you want anything other than the standard configuration, you are ordering a custom build and waiting the standard lead time.

Why are kilns made to order at all?

Because a single model can be built dozens of ways — voltage, phase, controller, zones, physical options — and no manufacturer can warehouse every combination of a product this heavy. Building on receipt of order is how the industry works, not a sign that something has gone wrong with your order.

Does the kiln ship as soon as it is built?

Close to it. Add several days to a week and a half of freight transit on top of the build time. Kilns move on a pallet by LTL freight carrier, and the carrier calls you to schedule a delivery appointment rather than simply turning up.

What if I order and then the lead time slips?

Call us. We would far rather tell you early that a date has moved than have you find out when it does not arrive. We deal with these factories every week and we can usually find out where a kiln actually is within a day.

Before you commit to a date

If something you are planning depends on when the kiln arrives — a class, a market, a commission, a term starting — tell us that before you order, not after. There is usually more than one way to hit a date, and sometimes the answer is a different model rather than a faster build.

Not sure which kiln you want yet? The Kiln Finder takes about a minute, or browse quick-ship kilns to see what moves fastest.

Freight is flat rate by zone with liftgate included when you need it, and every product page quotes a delivered price from your ZIP code before you commit. We price match. There is no sales tax outside Georgia. And when you call or text (470) 264-3563, you reach one of the owners — which is also why we can get a straight answer out of a factory on the same day.