Editing Clay

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'''Clay''' is one of the many types of [[soil]] that can be found in [[soil layer]]s. [[Aquifer]]s are never present in clay layers.

== Ceramics ==
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Five different soil types are classified as clay: clay, [[clay loam]], [[sandy clay]], [[silty clay]], and [[fire clay]], each of which can be gathered for use in [[Ceramic industry|ceramics]]. If your [[embark]] site has at least one type of clay, it will be shown as ''Clay'' or ''Shallow Clay'' in the embark screen's biome viewer.

The gathering and use of clay is done from a [[kiln]] or [[magma kiln]] and behaves similarly to most material production, but includes elements similar to [[glass]] production. In order to gather clay, a [[activity zone#Clay Collection|gathering zone]] must first be designated over a clay-bearing tile (note that clay can be collected from adjacent clay walls, even diagonally), much like with [[sand]]; however, gathering clay creates a clay "boulder" (the same as raw stone) and does not require a bag. These clay boulders are stored in a stone stockpile and may be used to build [[workshop]]s and [[construction]]s, but constructed clay floors '''cannot''' be used in place of natural soil. As with sand, clay can be gathered indefinitely from a single tile - any dwarf with the item hauling [[labor]] enabled can collect clay.

Clay can be made into pots, [[block|bricks]], [[statue]]s, [[hive]]s and [[Finished goods|craft]]s. Small pots, called [[jug]]s, function similar to bags and waterskins, while large pots are treated like barrels. Creating any object from clay requires a unit of fuel, or a magma kiln. 

Before an [[earthenware]] pot (large or small) can hold liquids, it must be '''glazed'''. Glazing is performed at a [[kiln]] and requires either a unit of [[ash]] or a unit of [[cassiterite]] ([[tin]] ore), plus a unit of fuel. [[Stoneware]] and [[porcelain]] pots do not need to be glazed.

When an underground plant ([[tree|trees]], [[shrub|shrubs]], [[grass]] or moss) grows on a muddy stone floor tile (after discovering a [[Caverns|cavern]]) and is either trampled, gathered, cut down or removed via building a dirt road on top of it, the floor tile turns into a soil type appropriate to the [[biome]] - for biomes which lack soil layers altogether (such as mountains and glaciers), a random soil type will be selected, which might sometimes be clay. 

[[Grass]], [[tree|sapling]]s and [[shrub]]s can grow on clay soil, which causes the underlying clay to be temporarily unavailable for collection, giving the message "Urist McBagger cancels Collect Clay: Clay vanished" if the job is in progress, or "Urist McBagger cancels Collect Clay: Need valid, active clay collection zone" if the job is new. You can easily remove the grass ''and'' prevent it from growing back by building a dirt [[road]] ({{K|b}}-{{K|o}}) over the grass.  You can also put a floor [[grate]] over a clay floor to prevent growth while allowing clay to be collected, but you must first remove the grass/sapling/sapling; you can do this by placing a dirt road ({{K|b}}-{{K|O}}) over it.

Occasionally, it is possible to 'cultivate' clay by channeling down into the lowest normal layer of the caverns, revealing a "[[Semi-molten rock|magma flow]]" above a floor of [[semi-molten rock]] (and a [[ramp]] on the level below, if the square had not previously been revealed).  If a [[floor]] is constructed over the flow, then deconstructed, a natural floor of clay or [[sand]] may be left behind.  In some cases, this may be the sole domestic source of clay for a fortress.

Clay cannot be used in jewelcrafting unlike any other stone or ore. Furthermore, clay cannot be fired from a [[catapult]], loaded into a [[stone-fall trap]], or used in place of stone at a [[mason's workshop]].

== Tips ==
Designation of a clay collection tile will repeatedly gather clay while the kiln has the job on repeat. This clay can then be used as a fire-safe building material for exterior walls. Using this strategy allows you to build a fort quickly without hauling heavy stone or using burnable wood. Placing the collection zone near the main stairway increases efficiency - remember to forbid clay from your stone stockpiles to avoid wasted hauling and valuable storage for real rocks.


[[File:Clay-ss-2005.jpg|thumb|300px|center|Naturally occurring clay.]]

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