The article presents the results of petrographic analysis of 80 samples of ceramics of five settlement sites of the 5th–3rd centuries BC, located in the forest-steppe part of the Don basin. Data on the mineral and chemical composition of the clay, the formulation of molding masses and the modes of vessel firing are given, most of which had a “matting” surface. For the discharge of dishes, mainly lean clay were used, related in composition to 13 varieties. They were accompanied with sand, gruss (crushed magmatic breeds) and chamotte (crushed ceramics, as a rule, differing in composition from the sample). The most popular were mixtures such as sand + gruss and sand + gruss + chamotte. They are detected in almost 70% of samples. The bulk of the vessels (64%) was fired in the oxidative environment. The temperature regime of firing, as a rule, was 600–800 °C. A distinctive feature of Gorodets dishes of Don region is an admixture of gruss. According to the recipe for molding masses, ceramics are similar to the products of the potters of Scythoid culture, whose settlements were also common in the region.