To suitably quench a workpiece by normally operating a conveying mechanism for the workpiece without causing wrong detection due to vapor such as soot.

An quenching apparatus 10 is provided with: a quenching furnace 1; an oil vessel 2; a lifting conveyor 3; and a radiation thermometer 8. The quenching furnace 1 heats the workpiece. The oil vessel 2 holds cooling oil in which the workpiece heated with the quenching furnace 1 is dipped. The lifting conveyor 3 lifts the workpiece from inside the oil vessel 2 to the outside with intermittent movement and conveys the workpiece to a receiving position 7. On the basis of radiant quantity of infrared rays, the radiation thermometer 8 measures, between the quenching furnace 1 and the oil vessel 2, the temperature in a chute 4 through which the workpiece passes. The starting timing of the lifting conveyor 3 is determined on the basis of the point in time at which the detected temperature of the radiation thermometer 8 reaches the prescribed temperature or higher.