PURPOSE: To reduce the consumption of the power used for an electric furnace, to drastically improve the melting capacity and to enhance productivity by heating the scrap to be charged into the furnace to a temp. higher than that of the scrap in the conventional process and melting even the end material and thin scraps.

CONSTITUTION: A flue is connected to the opening in the side wall of an electric furnace 2 at a specified inclination, the flue consists of a shutter mounting part 4 and the flue main body 5, a hopper 6 is connected to the upper end of the main body 5, and a shutter 7 is provided at the shutter mounting part.