Abstract The activity of wheel-throwing a ceramic vessel is governed by a number of physical forces. These are the rotational kinetic energy (expressed in terms of angular velocity and the moment of inertia) and manual pressures. Surprisingly little foundational research has been done on the physics behind wheel-throwing and there is a lack of understanding of the relationship between speed of rotation, speed of raising the vessel up and the orientation of clay pores. The speed of rotation is highly relevant to archaeologists as different wheel-turning devices can achieve different speeds. Thus, knowing the speed during manufacture will allow inference about the original device, the manufacturing technique employed, the potter’s level of skill and the standard of technology in a given society. Understanding pore length, volume, area, orientation, etc. can provide crucial information about the specific forming technique utilised. Funding has been secured to undertake experimental trials and basic X-ray analysis. Being able to visualise these pores through CT scanning and analysing their structures would be an amazing opportunity to gain more detailed insights and answer some of these very foundational questions.