# How much fuel does ladle preheating use in a foundry or melt shop?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/ladle-preheating-fuel-and-emissions

Ladle preheaters burn gas, oil or LPG to keep refractory lining hot so metal does not chill. It is a steady Scope 1 load that is easy to overlook. Lids on idle ladles, better burners and tighter cycle times cut it. Meter the preheater fuel separately if you can.

## Why it matters

- Preheaters often run between heats and over breaks.
- Open ladles lose heat fast from the mouth.
- Cold ladles mean higher tapping temperatures, so more melting energy.

## Ways to cut it

- Ladle covers during waiting time.
- Burners with air preheat or oxygen enrichment.
- Scheduling so fewer ladles are kept hot.

## Counting it

Fuel to the preheater multiplied by its factor, for example 2.98 kg CO2 per kg of LPG or 2.05 kg per scm of natural gas.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills and applies IPCC 2006 factors and the CEA grid factor (0.710 kg CO2 per kWh), so you can compare Scope 1 and 2 before and after a change from the documents themselves.

- [Cupola vs induction furnace](https://senseible.earth/answers/cupola-vs-induction-furnace-emissions)
- [Howrah foundry cupola](https://senseible.earth/answers/howrah-foundry-cupola-to-induction-co2)
- [LPG cylinder CO2](https://senseible.earth/answers/lpg-19-kg-cylinder-co2)

Sources: [2006 IPCC Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy](https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol2.html), [Bureau of Energy Efficiency](https://beeindia.gov.in), [GHG Protocol Corporate Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard)

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.