Top 5 compared
The best polymer clay kits
Earrings, charms, tiny animals and keychains from a box of bright clay that hardens in an ordinary oven.
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The top 5 at a glance
Polymer clay is a soft, colored modeling clay that doesn’t dry out in the air: it stays workable until it’s baked, so a model can be left half-made and picked up again later. Kits run from a box of clay alone, in a spread of shades to mix and blend, to sets with sculpting tools, a guide and jewelry findings, ready for a first project.
Each maker sets its own age, shown in the table, and whatever it says, baking is an adult’s job for younger children. Baking instructions differ from brand to brand, and some time it by the thickness of the piece.
What matters
- Block weight as well as the number of colors.
- Sculpting tools in the box, if it’s a first kit.
- A non-toxic label, and a maker’s age that fits the child.
#1Sculpey III Oven-Bake Clay Sampler (30 colors)
$20–$30
Thirty 1 oz bars of a classic American oven-bake clay, soft enough to work right from the wrapper for small or stiff hands, in shades that run from pearl, gold and silver to translucent and glow-in-the-dark. Polyform has made Sculpey since 1967, and it’s still produced in the USA.
What owners say: Colors stay true after baking, and the clay is soft enough for arthritic hands, which makes it a fun one to share with young kids too. Once baked, some pieces seem almost unbreakable, while others don’t hold up.
A closer look: There are no tools in the box, so a toothpick, a butter knife and a rolling pin from the kitchen do the job, or add a tool set. Bake at 275°F for 15 minutes per quarter-inch of thickness, never in the microwave; very thin pieces are the ones most likely to snap once baked.
- Soft straight from the pack
- Pearl, metallic, translucent, glow shades
- Bakes at 275°F
- Made in the USA
- Not for the microwave
Best for: Crafting with kids or stiff hands
- Clay
- 30 colors (1 oz bars)
- In the box
- Clay only
- Safety label (maker’s)
- Non-toxic
- Age (maker’s)
- Kids to adults
#2Ixiaoyoo Polymer Clay Set (60 colors)
$10–$20
Sixty colors, the most of the five, in 0.7 oz blocks, which means less mixing to match a shade for an animal, a character or a little ornament. Fourteen sculpting tools, accessories and an instruction guide come with it.
What owners say: Easy to use, with bright colors that match the pictures, it’s a cheaper way to a farmyard of model animals than buying them ready-made.
A closer look: Ixiaoyoo’s oven setting is 266°F for 10 to 15 minutes, with a hair dryer for pieces of an inch or two and boiling for ones about a third of an inch across. It says ages 4 and up with an adult around, so it suits school-age children better than toddlers.
- Oven bake at 266°F
- Hair dryer sets small pieces
- Boiling works for tiny pieces
Best for: Model animals and little characters
- Clay
- 60 colors (0.7 oz blocks)
- In the box
- 14 tools, extras, guide
- Safety label (maker’s)
- Non-toxic; ASTM D-4236, EN71
- Age (maker’s)
- 4+
#3Aestd-ST Polymer Clay Kit (50 colors)
$10–$20
Its fifty colors come in blocks sealed in their own bags, packed with the tools, accessories and a guide in a two-layer plastic case that keeps the whole kit together between sessions: handy for school projects as well as rainy afternoons.
What owners say: The range of colors and hours of play are what owners enjoy. Texture and strength are less certain: soft enough for some and too hard for others, with finished pieces holding up well or falling apart.
Heads up: Aestd-ST gives its oven instructions in the user guide in the box, so keep the leaflet with the set.
A closer look: Oven baking is what the maker recommends, with a hair dryer for small pieces of one to two inches, and it says boiling doesn’t work with this clay. Seal each block back in its bag after a session so the colors stay clean and free of lint, and leave the baking to an adult when younger children are making.
- Each block bagged separately
- Hair dryer sets small pieces
- Not suited to boiling
Best for: School projects and rainy afternoons
- Clay
- 50 colors (block weight not stated)
- In the box
- Tools, extras, 2-layer case
- Safety label (maker’s)
- ASTM D-4236
- Age (maker’s)
- 4+
#4Shuttle Art Polymer Clay Kit (50 colors)
$10–$20
Nineteen tools and ten kinds of accessories, from bells and beads to earring hooks, ring and hairpin holders, a key ring and phone chains, turn models into things to wear or hang up, and a silicone gem mold presses out stones to set in them.
What owners say: Beginners and kids get a bright, well-stocked first set. Where it falls short for some is the clay itself: easy to work for a few, hard to manipulate for others, with blocks ranging from soft to rock hard and prone to crumbling.
A closer look: Set the oven to 266°F for 10 to 15 minutes, as Shuttle Art advises; boiling works for very small pieces and a hair dryer for ones of an inch or two, but never the microwave. The listing rates it for ages 12 and up, and the whole kit packs back into its box.
- Silicone gem mold
- Earring hooks and ring holders
- Key ring and phone chains
- Bells and beads
- Oven bake at 266°F
Best for: Earrings, rings and charms
- Clay
- 50 colors (0.7 oz blocks)
- In the box
- 19 tools, 10 kinds of extras
- Safety label (maker’s)
- Non-toxic; ASTM D-4236, F2923, EN71
- Age (maker’s)
- 12+
#5HIPPIE CRAFTER Polymer Clay Kit (48 colors)
$30–$50
Bigger blocks for bigger ideas: 48 colors in 1 oz pieces, over 40% more than the usual 0.7 oz, with five sculpting tools. HIPPIE CRAFTER is a small family-owned American business, and it pitches this kit at grown-up crafters as much as beginners.
What owners say: Children enjoy it, and the colors blend easily into new shades. Beyond that, owners disagree: some love the quality, others call it sticky or greasy, and pieces don’t always hold together through baking.
A closer look: Bake on a metal tray and time it by thickness, 15 minutes for every quarter-inch, so a chunky figure needs far longer than a pair of earrings; cutting the time short is what leaves pieces fragile. It’s made for grown-ups making figurines, beads and earrings.
- Blends into new shades
- Bake 15 minutes per quarter-inch
- Bake on a metal tray
Best for: Grown-up crafters making figurines
- Clay
- 48 colors (1 oz)
- In the box
- 5 tools
- Safety label (maker’s)
- Non-toxic
- Age (maker’s)
- Adults
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Sculpey III sampler | #2Ixiaoyoo 60 colors | #3Aestd-ST 50 colors | #4Shuttle Art 50 colors | #5HIPPIE CRAFTER 48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Most colors | Best for jewelry making | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 8.7 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $10–$20 | $10–$20 | $10–$20 | $30–$50 |
| Clay | 30 colors (1 oz bars) | 60 colors (0.7 oz blocks) | 50 colors (block weight not stated) | 50 colors (0.7 oz blocks) | 48 colors (1 oz) |
| In the box | Clay only | 14 tools, extras, guide | Tools, extras, 2-layer case | 19 tools, 10 kinds of extras | 5 tools |
| Safety label (maker’s) | Non-toxic | Non-toxic; ASTM D-4236, EN71 | ASTM D-4236 | Non-toxic; ASTM D-4236, F2923, EN71 | Non-toxic |
| Age (maker’s) | Kids to adults | 4+ | 4+ | 12+ | Adults |
| Best for | Crafting with kids or stiff hands | Model animals and little characters | School projects and rainy afternoons | Earrings, rings and charms | Grown-up crafters making figurines |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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