Tundishes are heated to reduce the heat loss of the molten steel, to avoid bubbles in the first slab at the beginning of the casting sequence, and to avoid degeneration of the refractory due to thermal shocks. Combustion-heated tundishes on average are only 20 percent efficient. However, with the installation of recuperative burners the efficiency can be increased.

Although earlier tundishes heated through electrical induction failed to generate enough heat to be effective in the manufacturing process, new methods have been developed to improve heating capacity. Tundishes heated by electrical induction have the potential to reach efficiency levels of 98 percent; however, the use of electricity may result in indirect energy losses in power generation. Use of unheated tundish is also shown to be a feasible option.