text: In metallurgy, a ladle is a bucket-shaped container or vessel used to transport and pour out molten metals. Ladles are often used in foundries and range in size from small hand-carried vessels that resemble a kitchen ladle and hold  to large steelmill ladles that hold up to . Many non-ferrous foundries also use ceramic crucibles for transporting and pouring molten metal and will also refer to these as ladles.