A crucible is a container that can withstand very high temperatures and is used for metal, glass, and pigment production as well as a number of modern laboratory processes. In past centuries crucibles were usually made from clay, they can be made from any material that withstands temperatures high enough to melt or otherwise alter its contents.

Crucibles may be as small as teacups or may hold several tons of metal. They may be fixed in place within a furnace structure or may be designed to be removed from the furnance for pouring at the end of each melt. Crucibles are used in fuel-fired furnances, in electric resistance furnances, in induction furnaces or simply to transfer molten metal.

Crucibles offers many different performance characteristics aseach application presents a complex set of temperature, chemical, and physical parameters which define the technical boundaries within which the crucible has to bedesigned to operate.

Good thermal conductivity and even heating are important crucible properties in transferring the heat from the interior of the furnance through the crucible to the metal charge. Crucibles with high graphite content in the carbon binder offer high thermal conductivity for fast melting in glass-fired furnaces.