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Whether for household or industrial use, furnaces provide heating solutions. In home use, they are synonymous with boilers and heaters, and are used for area and water heating. Furnaces are also regularly used in industry. Industrial furnaces can be used for a wide variety of applications, from simple heating to metal smelting, welding and ceramic firing. Chemical, pharmaceutical, heavy machinery and manufacturing industries all utilize industrial furnaces, which are built in a variety of function-dependant styles.

Among the various types of industrial furnaces available are blast furnaces, which are involved in the smelting of metal; Bessemer converters and electric arc furnaces, used to create steel; and foundry furnaces, designed to re-melt metal. Industrial furnaces include ovens, which are used to harden, bake or melt various materials; kilns, which can be used to heat-treat different products; and high-temperature vacuum furnaces, necessary in processing graphite, ceramic and certain metals. Some furnace designs are built to apply and withstand pressure as well as heat, which is an important factor in a number of applications. Other furnaces, such as batch furnaces, are made to process multiple products in a single heating cycle.

When evaluating furnaces, a number of other attributes must be considered. The size, shape, makeup and quantity of the materials being heated is perhaps the most important consideration. The method of loading, as well as the internal and external dimensions of the furnace should correspond with the dimensions and requirements of your product. Temperature and pressure range of the device are also fundamental to the selection process. Also to be taken into account is the fuel source for the unit. Different gases, liquids and solid fuels produce fumes that may not be suitable for your application or location, although scrubbers and other air filtration devices can provide economical solutions for such concerns. Typical fuels include natural gas, propane and oil.

Furnaces are made from a multitude of materials, including high-temperature alloys and different types of non-metallic substances. The materials used in the design must be able to withstand degradation at high temperatures and pressures. Furnaces can be used for aging, brazing, drying, melting, smelting, quenching, heat treating and a variety of other industrial processes.