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What is greenware in traditional ceramic production?

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Stages in the slip casting of a thin-walled whiteware container. Clay powder is mixed in water together with a dispersing agent, which keeps the clay particles suspended evenly throughout the clay-water slurry, or slip. The slip is poured into a plaster mold, where water is drawn out by capillary action and a cast is formed by the deposition of clay particles on the inner surfaces of the mold. The remaining slip is drained, and the cast is allowed to dry partially before the drain hole is plugged and the mold separated. The unfinished ware is given a final drying in an oven before it is fired into a finished product.
traditional ceramics Stages in the slip casting of a thin-walled whiteware container. Clay powder is mixed in water together with a dispersing agent, which keeps the clay particles suspended evenly throughout the clay-water slurry, or slip. The slip is poured into a plaster mold, where water is drawn out by capillary action and a cast is formed by the deposition of clay particles on the inner surfaces of the mold. The remaining slip is drained, and the cast is allowed to dry partially before the drain hole is plugged and the mold separated. The unfinished ware is given a final drying in an oven before it is fired into a finished product.

In traditional ceramic production, greenware refers to pottery that has been shaped but has not yet undergone the firing process.12

Because it has not been heated to the temperatures required to induce permanent chemical changes, greenware remains in a state where it could potentially return to a plastic form if exposed to water. During the production process, greenware is typically allowed to dry thoroughly before being placed into a kiln for firing. Potters may also perform a finishing technique known as turning—often done when the piece reaches a "leather-hard" state—to smooth surfaces or refine details like footrings on a wheel.23