Graphite is the most commonly used material in the precious metal industry. Chemically, it is pure Carbon (C), but very often it is coated in technical applications or surrounded by a ceramic support shell in order to make them more durable. It is one of the cheapest useable materials in the industry and easy to process into different dimensions. The downside is they oxidise quickly and “burn away” over 600 °C from cycle to cycle when in contact with oxygen. Usage in a vacuum furnace lengthens their life time significantly and enables temperatures up to 2500 °C. Graphite crucibles can be used in inductive furnaces and are very suitable in melting and smelting mixed metals (recycling), alloys, gold and silver. When it comes to platinum, alladium and rhodium other materials will work better as the reaction with carbon particles can make the surface of the finished product brittle.