Induction furnaces have become indispensable as melting, storage and pouring units in iron foundries; medium-frequency crucible furnaces, in particular, are standard. The advantages of a crucible furnace over a cupola furnace include flexibility as far as the production of different alloys is concerned, the particular suitability for smelting base iron for ductile materials, the high recovery of the input materials and, last but not least, low CO2 emission.