To provide a furnace for melting metal capable of avoiding the oxidation of the metal as much as possible by preventing or suppressing the entry of air into a furnace when a furnace lid is opened, and to provide a method for melting metal.

The furnace for melting the metal includes a vertical furnace body 10 with a tap hole 11 formed at its bottom and a material charging port 12 arranged at its top, the furnace lid 21 arranged at the top of the furnace body for opening and closing the material charging port 12, and a combustion burner 16 arranged in the vicinity of the bottom of the furnace body for heating and melting the metal material charged into the furnace body. The furnace body 10 includes a gas introduction pipe 24 for introducing carbon dioxide gas into the furnace body at a position higher than the combustion burner 16.