Underglaze-red was a Jingdezhen innovation during the Yuan dynasty. Similar to the production of blue-and-white, copper pigment—which turns red after firing—was applied under a layer of transparent glaze before the ware was fired. In the past, copper served as the primary pigment for monochrome glazes, but as cobalt grew difficult to obtain from Yuan, copper became a substitute for cobalt. Towards the end of the Yuan dynasty, consignments of cobalt became less frequent due to a decline in trade with Persia, and as red was already designated as an imperial colour—highlighting the virtue of fire in the Hongwu period—both underglaze-and monochrome-red wares were produced in increasing quantities for official use, while the common people were forbidden from using the imperial underglaze-red.

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元朝景德鎮創燒釉裡紅，與青花同屬釉下彩。銅料繪於胎上，再上透明釉，燒製後呈紅色。銅料在元朝時原用於調製單色釉，因用於製作青花瓷的進口鈷料供應短缺，不敷應用，故當時用銅料替補。及至元末明初，據學者推斷，因戰亂頻仍，外交轉局，貿易因而中斷，進口鈷料庫存更為緊絀，加上明朝崇尚火德，赤紅為朝廷用色，故當時釉裏紅產量大增。而釉裡紅為朝廷御製器皿，民間不能使用。