#AskTamara: Recommended Mug List, Lead-free mug choices.
Originally published: January 28, 2018
Updated: December 1, 2020
Tamara, which mugs are Lead-free?
Which mugs do you recommend?
Below are six Amazon Affiliate links to mugs that are the same as (or similar to) the lead-free or lead-safe mugs we use in our home OR similar to mugs I have found to be lead-free when testing them for others.
My main concern with simple, plain, undecorated (otherwise Lead-free) glass mugs is that they often (unexpectedly) have white painted logo markings on the bottom of the mugs and that white paint is more-often-than-not high-Lead paint (in the 5,000 to 20,000 ppm Lead range.)
As a result of the above concern, when clicking through to each of the links below please review the Amazon listing carefully before you make a purchase to make sure no paint is visible in the images that show the exterior of the mug (painted logo markings, measurement markings, decorations or otherwise.) When I put this list together these choices all appeared to be free of markings, however Amazon sometimes switches up the products that are linked and manufacturers also sometimes change the product – adding a Lead painted logo marking on the bottom when there had not been one previously.
If you receive a mug from this list and it has any painted markings please let me know and I will remove it from the list. It is possible that NEWER (brand new, 2020 or later) mugs may have Lead-free painted logo markings on the bottom – but that is often not the case.
- Libbey 15-1/2-Ounce Tapered Mugs
- Libbey 13 oz. Robusta Classic Coffee Mug
- Luminarc Lead-Free Jumbo Mugs
- Insulated double wall glass coffee mugs
#6.) Here’s a link to my FAVORITE Lead-free clear glass coffee mugs. These are the mugs we use in our home. My kids liked them so much that I also bought a set for my son to use at college. [Link to my glass mugs!]
Also, for fun, here’s a link to the “Lead-Free Mug” category here on the blog.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions. I will do my best to answer them personally as soon as I have a moment (which might be a while, since I have kids underfoot with no childcare during the pandemic!)
Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
The links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links I will receive a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you!
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I have a beautiful Konitz mug. Is it lead free?
I have no idea! 🙂
Can you send me a photo via email?
My mom makes pottery. She has her own kiln, does her own glazing. Do you think the newer glazes for pottery have lead? Certainly don’t want to throw out all the dishes she has made for us unless I have to.
Most potters know their glaze contents. Ask her. My mom was a professional potter for 40 years and all of the glazes she used were lead free.
Hi Tamara, thank you for all the work you do. May you please kindly share the brands of glazes that are lead-free?
Thank you,
Carol
Hi Tamara I messaged you on Facebook letting you know some Libbey cups I got from Amazon have white paint on the bottom
Do you ever test at Hobby Lobby? There is a mug there that says “Pumpkin Everything” on it and I gotta have it.
No – I haven’t been there to test.
Are the mugs from Deneen pottery lead free?
Also Konitz porcelain mugs from Germany.
Thank you!
I only have results for products people send me to test, so if you cannot find them on the site I likely have not yet tested that design or brand.
Hi Jan, Did you find anything about Konitz mugs?
I have been using a Konitz mug for a year and so, and I really need to know because I was found to have high lead in my body which of course could be from other things, but If you have tested this brand for lead content, please let me know.
Many thanks,
Kind regards,
Constantina
Have you tested any large white ceramic mugs that have come back clean??
There are several on the list, please scroll through the mugs I have tested using the tags at the top of the post or the link to the list of mugs. Thanks. There are at least 80 posts about mugs here: https://tamararubin.com/category/mugs/
Are American Mug Pottery coffee mugs which made in USA lead free?
I am not familiar with that brand. My readers send me things to test and those are the things that are listed on my blog. If you are interested in participating and sending in some things to test, please check out this link: https://tamararubin.com/2017/07/subscribe-in-support-of-my-advocacy-work-you-can-become-eligible-to-send-in-a-box-of-your-things-for-testing/
I was just looking into American Mug Pottery since they were included in a listing of ‘lead free’ American made mugs. The Amazon listing claims “All mugs have been tested to be lead and cadmium free for your families safety.” but reviews just mention the glaze is, though I can’t find any info on their actual website regarding those claims even.
Here’s the website: https://www.americanmugandsteincompany.com/
And the Amazon listing: https://www.amazon.com/American-Mug-Pottery-Ceramic-Bistro/dp/B06XS4F3W6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=cooklogic-20&linkId=f0897de65d0378d5e02f161cb429dd96&language=en_US
Hope it’s ok to reply to an older comment; I just thought the information was still relevant. When companies/potters can apparently use the term ‘lead free’ in a misleading way it’s frustrating to find something that truly is (or at least non detectable). If Ellen’s mugs can come back completely lead free why not others?
You make it so easy for my to order the products you post that are safe just order the safe coffee mugs today. Saves me so much time than going out to shop for them. Thanks again for all the work you do having a child who had Burkitt’s non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at 7 she is now 29. My son who is 34 had Type 1 diabetes at 21 months old then at 19 a heart transplant and diagnosed with Celiacs disease . They are happy with the choices we as a family have made with replacing our kitchen items with ones that are safe to use . I look forward to seeing more information here that i can share with my loved ones on Facebook , Pinterest and Twitter too.
Have you ever tested Noritake Sunset Mesa mugs/dinnerware? I have searched on line and on your tested mugs but can’t find anything.
How do you test for lead?
Hi Tamara ,
Thank you for your incredible work ! I’m getting rid of my ice cream scooper and spatulas .
I bought the ivory colored fiesta ware for my children a week ago and it says lead free . I also bought some new dishes for myself and guests Would I be able to send you a piece of my dishwater to have it tested ? I live near Salem in Oregon so not far away .
Thank you ,
Christina
Hi Christina – here’s the instructions for how to send me a dish to report on on the blog:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/08/tamara-can-i-send-you-one-of-my-dishes-to-test-for-lead/
Thanks for commenting!
Tamara
Hi Tamara, Thank you for all your work. I am planning to buy IKEA VARDAGEN set for Dinnerware, Drinkwares. It mentions No Lead or No Cadmium added. Does it mean the raw materials might have it. Is the IKEA VARDAGEN set lead and cadmium safe?
Thanks!
Ramya
I’m was actually going to ask the same thing. I already have these cups and a different clear glass cup, also from IKEA, that my kids use everyday.
If a product says no added lead or cadmium… it safe?
Have you tested Rae Dunn Mugs by chance? They are SO popular and we have a whole collection. Would be curious. Thanks 🙂
Hi Heather, yes – I have tested several Rae Dunn Mugs.
Here’s the “Rae Dunn” category on the blog (with several posts you can scroll through): https://tamararubin.com/category/rae-dunn/
Thank you for commenting.
Tamara
Hi Tamara, Thank you so much for all of your valuable work. I was wondering if you have information about glass mugs made by Design™ (French company) found them at Target, and on their website(Target website) mentions that they are free of toxins, however, they don’t say clearly lead free! instead they say: “all Target food contact items have been tested by independent 3rd party laboratories and meet all FDA requirements for food contact items, including phthalates, BPA, and lead.”
https://www.target.com/p/glass-stackable-mugs-12-5oz-white-set-of-6-made-by-design-8482/-/A-53142661
Thank you again!
Azza
I am detoxing my home and on a budget I saw the links to amazon and cannot afford any of them. I own a gibson elite home set of dinnerware and on the q and a it says lead and cadmium free, but not conclusively. Can you check them? I am looking for the following items lead and cadmium or other contaminants free. Boiling pot, bakeware, cookware, glass measuring cup, some cork with matching glass bottles, anything I can afford, kitchen knifes, peeler etc. Appreciate any help.
Hi Tamara! Thank you for your help on finding us all lead free dishes. I recently purchased Corelle Bella Faenza dinnerware and also ordered 2 meal mugs thinking they were also Corelle. The meal mugs are white and made by Cornigware. The size is great for some meals, however I don’t want lead in my meal mugs. Do you have any recommendations to lead free 20 oz mugs?
Thank you!
Pamela
Hi Pamela,
Check out the Lead Free Mug category here on the site to look through some of the types I have tested.
https://tamararubin.com/category/lead-free-mug/
I will try to update the category link tonight or tomorrow as not all of my lead free mugs are listed when you click that link.
Thanks for commenting.
Tamara
Are the bodum double wall glass coffee mugs lead free ?
Tamara
Have you tested ceramic (or other) Neti pots? Since they are used sometimes daily and are sending water straight though the sinus near the brain, I wonder about poisoning. There are ceramic (China) versions and also now plastic in both the usual ‘pot’ style and large syringe style. After spending half a day on your site AGAIN….and I THANK YOU …. I am looking at my neti pot askance!
Cheers to you!
Jaya
Hi Jaya,
Thank you for commenting. I have tested several Neti Pots that were positive for Lead in the glaze. I would be careful in purchasing those and do your homework to find brands that expressly sell them as lead-free. This is not a guarantee (many items marked “lead-free” still have Lead) – but it is a good place to start.
If you wanted to send me something for testing you could get on my schedule for October / November. Here’s a post about how that works:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/08/tamara-can-i-send-you-one-of-my-dishes-to-test-for-lead/
Tamara
Have you tested 8.5 oz. Libbey Irish Coffee Mugs?
Hi Michelle, Thank you for commenting.
Here’s my affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2BPU61l
If you are referring to a newly made / currently sold product – like the one in the link above – I would expect them to be Lead-free as all of the newly manufactured Libbey glassware products I have tested recently have been lead-free. Across the board I would consider them to be a good brand.
Tamara
Hi! Have you tested the 15.25 oz Libbey Kava mug? https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00COZ4MWG/racquetdepotc-20
Thanks!
Hi, have you tested the zwilling double walled mugs?
The Libbey tapered mug you have listed is made in Mexico. Do you have any concerns with this? I am looking at purchasing the Libbey crystal coffee mug 13 oz on Amazon and I think these too are made in Mexico. Just wanted your thoughts. Thanks Tamara!
Newly manufactured (2020 – 2021) clear (undecorated, unpainted) glass products from Libbey do not test positive for Lead.
Tamara
Tamara.. thanks so much for your valuable work and great information. Just bought a set of YOUR fav duralex mugs!!! Cannot wait for them to arrive!!!
Hi Tamara… just reviewed my order for the duralex made In France cozy mugs….a little confused…it says manufacturer:. Duralex. DE New Castle. US. I thought this item was made in France…can u pls clarify? Thanks so much.
Hi Tamara,
Wow I’m having bad luck finding any safe mug. The glass ones you reccomend on the list-all had reviews of the occasional glass mug exploding or cracking when filled with hot liquid!
I don’t want to take a chance…so many reviewers are complaining on the Amazon site, it has to be happening.
What’s left? I’m out of options..unless pyrex makes mugs..
Thanks for your help 🙂
My mugs have never shattered – I use them every single day: https://tamararubin.com/2020/06/duralex-clear-glass-cosy-coffee-mug-lead-free-cadmium-free-arsenic-free-mercury-free/
T
Hi Tamara,
Thanks for your reply. I’m wondering if the problem might be which country Libbey mugs are manufactured in. For example, the Libbey Robusta mugs on the Canadian Amazon site contains a caution that the mugs should not be used for hot liquids, only warm! It does not say where they were made.
I bought mine at Walmart, made in Mexico, no warning on the box about hot liquids. Strange.
I will try to investigate this further.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
I definitely have come to prefer the Duralex products as a rule. They are made in France. I recommend trying them. I bought a set for myself and a set for my son who is away in college: https://amzn.to/3tyjQpq (aflink)
Tamara
I just researched Duralex and wow, we grew up with their glasses! Do you know how many times we dropped those glasses as kids? I remember them as the only thing I couldn’t break.
I’m on my way to buy them online. Thanks!
P.S. I fully support your idea of paid subscriptions; after all, people buy Consumer Reports magazines to find out what’s safe. 🙂
Thank you!
I’m bummed! I’ve spent a lot of money on Emerson Creek Pottery mugs. I thought they were lead free but turns out they are just “lead safe.”
I am wondering if you’ve tested Corning plain white grab it bowls. I have old ones.
Hi Tamara,
I just noticed that in the product description for the last mugs listed here (the insulated, double-walled glass coffee mugs) that they say they are ‘hand made.’ I recall in another post (about a celebrity’s wedding registry) you said that when it says a glass product is ‘hand made’ (or hand blown, though that sounds weird and impossible to blow something with your hand…) that it can be low in lead or lead free but it may be very high in antimony (I think it was) or some other concerning metal. I’m just flagging this issue as I’m not sure whether you specifically tested these exact Joyjolt mugs or whether they were recommended more because of the fact that they’re unadorned glass.
Hi – The joyJolt mugs aren’t linked here. Can you explain to me how you are seeing them? Do they pop up on Amazon after you click one of the other mugs? I stopped recommending them several months ago after a reader wrote in to say they had painted logo markings on the bottom. Thanks!
T
I’m sorry I don’t think I answered your question directly. The link I found (for Joyjolt) was when I clicked on the link #5. Insulated Double Walled Glass Coffee Mugs, above.
Okay, weird… when I go to click on that link now I get “Colibyou’ mugs (double-walled insulated glass), but the two times I clicked before I got the Joyjolt mugs. Perhaps it’s something on my end as even now with the Colibyou mugs, the product information doesn’t seem to be for mugs, but for some kind of USB compatible device. So I’m not sure if these Colibyou mugs that are showing up now are ‘hand blown’ or not. I think I’ll just go with something less fancy.
And next time I’ll be sure to check any link many more times before reporting something that might only be happening for me!
In that vein, I appreciate your the general principles you lay out for each kind of materials, like for glass, sticking to plain, unadorned, no tints, and avoiding vintage in most cases, etc. Makes it so much easier to extrapolate across various products and brands.
I am wondering if I can’t rely on a product being lead free, even if the company states it is lead free? I noticed all your mugs listed were glass. I purchased some white, plain mugs from Amuse (company states lead and cadmium free), should I be suspect of all non-glass mugs? Thank you for your work!
Hello – most product sold as “Lead free” are not actually Lead-free, they are “non-leaching for Lead at the time of manufacture” [when they are new]…
Thank you for all the valuable information about the mugs, dinnerware…etc. I switched all my dinnerware to Corelle white dinnerware and all the colour coffee mugs to glass mugs. After a month later my migraine is gone. I used to have painful migraine and muscle pain on my neck and shoulders every few days. Now I don’t have any migraine after. I think I have lead poisoning before due to long time using my colourful mug and clour pattern dinnerware.
Oh wow. Thanks for commenting. Headaches are a primary symptom of persistent chronic lead exposure (a system that is often not linked to Lead exposure when discussing issues with your doctor). Amazing news.
For others reading this comment – here’s a list of common symptoms in adults:
https://tamararubin.com/2017/01/what-is-the-impact-of-lead-poisoning-in-adults-including-college-age-students/
Tamara
Love your work! Thanks for it! I tried both of the microwave safe glass mugs listed (Anchor Hocking and Duralex), and their handles are shaped so your fingers have to rest against the hot mug to hold them comfortably (if you just microwaved it, ouch!). I wonder if most people don’t microwave theirs? Not sure why companies don’t actually use their own products extensively enough to figure this out. (And I have fairly small hands.) Looking at other Amazon listings. How much would you trust a company’s claims that their glasses are lead free? Depends on the company? Thanks again for all of your work!
Libbey is good. Anchor Hocking is good. These are smaller (this brand is good): https://amzn.to/3RqE2a0 aflink
Hi Tamara,
Have you tested Bennington pottery? What are your thoughts? They claim to be lead and cadmium free on their website. Thanks!
https://tamararubin.com/2019/12/bennington-potters-blue-glazed-ceramic-coffee-mug-lead-free-really-great-gift-choice-31-00-including-shipping/