To provide a metal melting holding furnace which can realize an appropriate temperature holding state for molten metal in a holding chamber, suppress heat loss of electric heater as a heating means so as to reduce the power consumption and reduce the generation of oxide due to reaction of molten metal and oxygen.

This metal melting holding furnace is provided with a melting chamber 4 to melt a metallic material by a melting burner, a holding chamber 5 which communicates with the melting chamber 4 through a communicating hole 27 and keeps a molten metal produced by a melting furnace at a specified temperature by a heating means, and a dipping chamber 6 which communicates with the holding chamber 4 and whose upper surface is open. The heating means is comprised of an electric heater 16, and the communicating hole 27 communicating the melting chamber 4 with the holding chamber 5 is arranged at least below the metal line L of molten metal accumulated in normal state within the holding chamber 4. The electric heater 16 is housed in almost horizontal state in a heating cover covering the upper opening of the holding chamber 5 for example, and it heats uniformly the almost entire area of the upper surface of molten metal M in the holding chamber 4.