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Types of Polymer Clay There are many types (or brands) of polymer clay available on the market today. I will cover the properties of only a few most common ones here. Please refer to Polymer Clay: Resources page for a list of places where you can buy these and other types of polymer clay. Sculpey III Sculpey III is soft and easy to work with. It is the easiest one to push through clay guns. This clay is available in 44 vibrant colors. The colors blend easily, which is good for color mixing, but is not so good for cane-work (millefiori). Being soft right out of the package, it is a good clay for kid's projects. However, this clay is more brittle than others after baking. Premo! Sculpey Premo! Sculpey is softer than FIMO, but stiffer than Sculpey. It retains flexibility in thin areas, making small details less vulnerable to breakage. It has a rich color palette, with at least 32 colors, some of which have mica-shift particles. In my opinion, this is one of the best clays currently on the market, and a very good choice for a wide variety of techniques. Fimo Classic Fimo Classic is stiffer than any of Sculpey clays, so it keeps the shapes and colors you want, making it a very good choice for cane-work. It comes in 24 bright colors. Fimo Soft Fimo Soft is very similar to Sculpey III in its properties. Cernit Cernit is available in more than 60 colors, including pearlescent, neon, and natural colors. It is the clay choice for dollmakers and loved for its porcelain-like finish. This clay is easy to condition, but gets easily overworked (warms up and get mushy). It is very strong after baking. Kato Kato is the stiffest of all of polymer clays, but it is also the strongest when baked. This is my clay of choice for all my jewelry projects. This clay comes in 21 colors, including translucent, metallic, and concentrates. The metallic and pearl colors have extra mica in them compared to other brands. The 8 basic colors are true complementaries, which makes them very easy to mix virtually any color. I especially like the color concentrates, because they are literally packed with pigments, and create very rich colors when mixed with other clays (they do need to be mixed with regular clay; they are too brittle to be used in sculpting on their own). Newer brands include Ultralight, Studio by Sculpey, Craft Smart (Michael's store brand), and Pardo. Ultralight Ultralight (by Sculpey Polyform) is a unique clay because... well, it is very lightweight. This clay is extremely soft and easy to knead, but it becomes very hard after baking. This clay is available only in white, but it can be painted after baking. It makes a nice filler for larger polymer clay beads. Studio by Sculpey Studio by Sculpey was received by the clayers community with a lot of enthusiasm. With the price comparable to most other brands, it has nice qualities both during sculpting and after baking: it is easy to condition, not too soft, does not stick too much to hands and other surfaces, and it is sturdy and durable after baking. The clay comes in 34 colors, which create a nice soft palette. It seems that the colors are intended to be used straight out of the package, rather than for mixing. Craft Smart Craft Smart is more affordable than other brands, but it seems too soft in its raw form and too brittle once baked. This clay is available in 15 colors. Pardo Pardo is the newest clay on the market, and it came from Germany (Viva Decor). It has no odor before, during, and after baking and comes in 70 beautiful colors. Made with beeswax, it contains no phthalates. When baked, it is strong and flexible, but in its raw form it is a bit too soft for canes. This clay is more expensive than other brands and is not widely available in the US yet. Tips and Tricks: Here is one thing some new polymer clay enthusiasts may not realize right away: IT IS OK TO MIX DIFFERENT BRANDS OF POLYMER CLAY. Mixing different brands gives you a wider range of polymer clay properties and colors. Just remember to mix the two brands thoroughly.

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