From our kiln
to your planter
Nine Days is a factory-direct maker of expanded clay pebbles. We fire, screen, and grade our own product — then ship it straight to gardeners, growers, and resellers, with nobody in between.
Why “Nine Days”?
Our name comes from jiǔtiān (九天) — the Chinese word for the high, open sky. We think it describes exactly what healthy roots deserve: air, space, and room to breathe. Every batch of pebbles leaves our kiln with that one job in mind.
How the pebbles are made
Raw clay is shaped into pellets and fired in a rotary kiln at around 1,200 °C (2,190 °F). The heat expands the clay into a hard shell around a honeycomb of sealed air pockets — lightweight, inert, frost-proof, and effectively permanent. Nothing is added, and nothing leaches out.
After firing, every batch is screened into precise grades and de-dusted. That screening step is where most cheap clay pebbles cut corners — it's also the step customers notice first, as soon as they open the bag.
What the factory does well
Premium raw materials
Selected natural shale and clay, fired at high temperature — stable quality you can trace batch to batch.
Automated rotary kiln
A fully automated production line with precise temperature control delivers uniform size and density.
Batch QC & test reports
Strength, density, and water-absorption tests on every batch, with third-party test reports available on request.
Fast, protected shipping
Sturdy packaging and a reliable logistics network — from our factory to growers across the US.
What we stand for
Make it clean
Dust is the most common complaint about clay pebbles — so we screen every batch at the factory and treat 'dust-free' as a requirement, not a selling point.
Grade it honestly
Two grades, two jobs. 1–3 cm pebbles move water; 8–16 mm pebbles feed roots. We sort precisely and label exactly what's in the bag.
Cut the middlemen
We own the supply chain from kiln to customer. That's how a bag of brand-grade pebbles costs what it should — not what distributors add on top.
Want to see the product up close?
Ask us for samples, specs, or a quote — we're happy to walk you through the grades and sizes.