Originally published 2020, updated August 2026.
10 gallon buckets are a great way to store glazes and dry materials in a studio. A 10 gallon bucket will easily hold about 50lbs of most dry materials such as plaster or glaze ingredients. For glazing, the larger size accommodates bigger pieces for dipping.
But glazes is where things get a bit complicated with 10 gallon buckets. Many of the newer styles feature raised insets at the bottom, or fluted vents along the side. This is great for trash, but not so great for glaze mixing as the mixer blade can grind on any bump, and may eventually lead to holes in the bucket. This is especially true if you use a metal mixer blade.
When we first wrote this guide in 2020, the Carlisle Bronco 10 Gallon Bucket was our recommended option. But that bucket is also being updated and has fluting and a raised base. However, you can still find a few of the older models listed online in packs of 6 for $130, and you can also get a 6 pack of lids for $100 more, or about $17 per lid
Carlisle Bronco 10 Gallon Bucket in white or gray
Pack of 6
$130 or $21.66 per can
This post will review a few 10 gallon bucket options, describe the problems I ran into using the Rubbermaid bucket, and explain why I prefer the Carlisle Bronco.
Table of Contents
Carlisle Bronco 10 Gallon Bucket
Winco Heavy Duty Round 10 Gallon Bucket
Advantage Supplies 10 Gallon Bucket
Rubbermaid Commercial 10 Gallon Bucket
Rubbermaid Brute 10 Gallon Bucket
Summary
Winco Heavy Duty 10 Gallon Bucket
The Winco Heavy Duty 10 Bucket is another option with sturdy walls and a smooth interior that will be easy to mix glazes in. It looks like the “old style” of Rubbermaid Brute.
It’s available for $37 at Amazon, but a lid is not listed with it.
The Carlisle Bronco 10 Gallon Bucket is available in a variety of colors.
Advantage Supplies 10 Gallon
A very affordable option is the Advantage Supplies 10 Gallon Bucket available from Webrestaurantstore.com. I haven’t used it in person, but from the images it appears to have a raised ring at the bottom, but no fluting on the side.
These 10 gallon buckets are available for $10.62 each and lids are $4.99
Rubbermaid Commercial 10 Gallon Bucket
The white model of the Rubbermaid Commercial Products 10 Gallon Bucket is still showing the older style of bucket at the link below. The other colors all have the fluting that can be damaged by glaze mixing tools.
It’s available in a pack of 6 for $112 or around $19 per bucket.
Rubbermaid Brute 10 Gallon Bucket
The Rubbermaid Brute 10 Gallon Bucket. Note the fluting on the side: good for trash can liners, bad for glaze mixing
It’s hard to recommend the Rubbermaid Brute 10 Gallon Bucket as a glaze bucket or for dry materials storage. It has fluting down the sides and upraised reinforcement in the base. This allows it to be made from less plastic (which is good) but the bumps and exposed plastic corners on the inside do not work well with a ceramic studio.
I ordered one of these as a glaze bucket for the busy community studio I manage, and within a few months, a student drilled a hole in the bottom. The hole was made with a cordless drill with a Jiffy ES-21 mixer blade, and this metal blade and the upraised base on the Brute did not work well together. (See pics below)
This bucket is available for $27 at Home Depot or is $41
Comparing the Carlisle Bronco and Rubbermaid Brute
Here’s two pictures showing the hole that was drilled in the upraised section of the Brute Bucket:
Below are two photos showing the Bronco (the clean bucket) in comparison to the Rubbermaid Brute. Note the upraised base of the Brute and the fluting, while the Carlisle Bronco is smooth inside.
The Rubbermaid Brute (dirty) alongside our new Carlisle Bronco 10 gallon bucket.
10 Gallon Bucket Accessories
The Rubbermaid Sliding Lid and Scoop is available for 10, 20, and 32 gallon buckets.
Sliding Lid: A standard lid is fine but the Rubbermaid sliding lid (pictured at right) is an interesting option for storing dry materials. Designed for food-service storage, it would also be great for glaze materials and dry clay storage.
It’s not cheap though, listed at around $80.
Drills: A cordless drill is usually just powerful enough to mix a 10 gallon bucket of liquid, but a corded drill will definitely get the job done. For our complete review of cordless drills, click here. For corded drills, click here.
Glaze mixing accessories: For a guide to glaze-mixing tools and accessories, click here.
Finally, here’s a how-to about mixing glazes from scratch.
Summary
A clean, unobstructed interior is the best option for mixing glazes. But as 10 gallon buckets have been altered to add fluting and other features, they have become less useful for glazes. This post has covered a number of options that are open and don’t have any bumps in the interior, along with accessories and other tools for glaze mixing.
Do you have other favorite options for 10 gallon buckets? Please share in the comments.
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