PURPOSE: To provide an apparatus for measuring the surface level of molten metal, which can automatically measure the surface level accurately without much time and labor.

CONSTITUTION: In this apparatus, in which an electrode rod 15 is lowered, the contact of the electrode rod 15 with the surface of a molten metal 45 is detected by the change in electric resistance at the contact, the moving amount from a reference position to the surface level is measured with a measuring means 17, and the height of the surface 45 of the molten metal 45 is measured based on the output value of the measuring means 17, a zero-point sensor 16, which detects the electrode rod 15 including the metal that is attached to the lower end of the rod, is provided at the intermediate position of the lowering of the electrode rod 15, and the measurement of the measuring means 17 is started based on the output of the zero-point sensor 16.