In May 2026 listings on Made-in-China.com, a 150 kg medium-frequency aluminium-scrap induction melting furnace with 1,500-15,000-50,000 mid-range pricing sat between US$10,000 and US$50,000 ex-works [S2]. A 1-30 t class cast-iron / cast-steel induction melting set from the same source listed at US$14,500-37,300, while 3 t copper/aluminium scrap dual-purpose units were quoted at US$6,550-80,000 per set [S3][S7].
These spreads show price is set less by the word "induction furnace" than by three engineering levers: melt mass per heat, mains frequency (line-frequency 50/60 Hz coreless vs medium-frequency 1-10 kHz vs high-frequency 30-100 kHz), and refractory/coil class — the same trio that gates any induction furnace selection before RFQ.
Capacity tier vs list price: where the brackets actually sit
Capacity is the single largest price multiplier in the May 2026 Chinese wholesale data: sub-150 kg mini units from Hunan HBO and SINO ZHENG INDUSTRIAL listed at US$1,280-2,500 and US$1,280-19,800 per set respectively [S6]. 150-1,000 kg mid-range aluminium/copper melting furnaces concentrated in a US$10,000-50,000 band, with 150 kg aluminium scrap units at US$10,000-15,000 [S2]. 1-3 t cast-iron and 3-5 t steel melting sets jumped to US$14,500-80,000, and integrated "manufacturer induction melting furnace machine" packages for precious-metal (gold, silver, copper, iron, aluminium) workloads reached US$2,000-3,500 per set in the entry band, with Ningbo-sourced industrial sets going up to US$129,999 [S7].
For foundries comparing spend, the 150 kg unit at roughly US$70 per kg of nominal capacity is a useful anchor: 3 t sets average US$13-27 per kg of capacity at the listed price, a roughly 70-80% reduction in capital intensity per tonne as scale rises [S2][S3].
Frequency class: line-frequency coreless vs medium-frequency vs high-frequency
Line-frequency (50/60 Hz) coreless induction furnace units dominate the iron and steel scrap-melting listings, with 1-5 t sets at US$6,550-80,000 from Luoyang Shennai [S3][S7]. Medium-frequency (1-10 kHz) units dominate the aluminium, brass and bronze band — Aps Electric 150 kg medium-frequency units sit at US$10,000-15,000, and 1-3 t medium-frequency sets span US$10,000-100,000 from Guangzhou DT and peers [S2][S6]. High-frequency (30-100 kHz) units appear in the precious-metal and dental lab sub-listings, e.g. the TOPCAST TIP series vacuum/inert chamber furnace with a 1,200 °C (2,192 °F) ceiling, sized from 100 g ingots to kilo-bar [S1].
For a 1 t aluminium melting duty, medium-frequency is the default because electromagnetic stirring is controllable and melt loss runs 0.5-1.0% versus 1.5-2.5% on line-frequency coreless. The capital premium for the medium-frequency stack (rectifier + inverter + coil) is typically recovered in 12-24 months on aluminium at this scale, against a 25-40% sticker uplift versus a 50 Hz coreless of the same capacity [S2][S6].
Material-specific cost: iron, aluminium, copper and precious metals
Cast-iron and cast-steel induction melting sits in a tighter bracket: Shennai 3 t multi-metal (copper, aluminium, scrap, cast iron, brass, bronze, stainless) induction sets are listed at US$14,500-37,300 [S3]. Pure-aluminium scrap melting units cluster narrower — the US$10,000-15,000 150 kg Aps Electric model is the reference point, with custom-tonnage builds reaching the US$50,000 ceiling for the same OEM [S2]. For dental/precious metals, the TOPCAST TIP vacuum chamber furnace handles 100 g-1 kg ingots with 1,200 °C ceiling and inert/vacuum atmosphere, priced as a build-to-order special rather than a posted SKU [S1].
Comparison table: list-price brackets by capacity and frequency (May 2026)
Data below is drawn directly from Made-in-China.com listings dated 2026-04-20 to 2026-05-17; all prices are ex-works China, MOQ 1 set, in US dollars [S2][S3][S6][S7].
Sub-150 kg medium-frequency (precious/dental): US$1,280-19,800 — typical use lab, jewellery, sample prep [S6][S7].
150 kg medium-frequency aluminium scrap: US$10,000-15,000 — typical use job-shop aluminium caster, recycling point [S2].
1-3 t medium-frequency multi-metal: US$10,000-100,000 — typical use mid-size foundry, brass mill [S6].
1-5 t line-frequency coreless cast iron/steel: US$6,550-80,000 — typical use iron foundry, steel scrap melt [S3][S7].
3-5 t cast-steel dedicated induction: US$14,500-37,300 — typical use steel casting line, ingot producer [S3].
Vacuum/inert chamber induction (TOPCAST TIP, 1,200 °C): build-to-order — typical use dental alloy, precious-metal ingot [S1].
Induction vs electric arc: when the arc furnace wins on price per tonne
On the same Made-in-China.com platform, 1-30 t electric-arc alternatives (CE-approved) were listed at US$70,000-145,000 for 6 t die-casting arc sets, and US$50,000-500,000 for submerged-arc ferroalloy furnaces, both MOQ 1 set [S5]. At 6 t scale the arc option undercuts a comparably-sized induction set on first-cost, but induction wins on melt-rate control, lower NOx, and electrode-free operation — a trade-off detailed in the Induction Furnace vs Cupola Furnace spec/cost cut. For a 1 t iron foundry running 8-16 h shifts, the operating-cost delta (electrode consumption 1-2 kg/t for arc versus zero for induction) typically tips the lifecycle math toward induction inside 18 months.
Selection gates that should be locked before any price comparison
Three gates have to be set before a US$10,000 quote and a US$80,000 quote can be compared honestly: alloy (Fe, Al, Cu, precious), hourly throughput (t/h, not nominal capacity), and power-supply class (380/415/480 V three-phase, kVA available at the busbar) [S2][S3][S6]. Without those three pinned, the May 2026 listings will mislead — a US$1,500 mini unit is not a 3 t iron-melting furnace no matter how the photos line up. The broader Melting Furnace Selection Criteria 2026 field frame lays out the same gates across furnace families, and the Induction Furnace 2026 Buying Guide carries the cost levers one level deeper.
Watch items for 2026-06 sourcing
Three signals are worth tracking into July 2026: (1) whether 150 kg medium-frequency aluminium quotes stay pinned to the US$10,000-15,000 floor or drift as copper coil and IGBT inverter prices move [S2]; (2) whether 1-3 t cast-iron/cast-steel dual-purpose sets compress below the US$14,500 low as more Luoyang Shennai-class ISO 9001:2015 audited suppliers come online [S3][S7]; and (3) whether the TOPCAST-class 1,200 °C vacuum/inert chamber furnace segment publishes posted pricing for the first time, since dental-alloy and precious-metal buyers have so far had to RFQ every job [S1]. The dictionary-style definition of an induction furnace — heat generated inside the charge by electromagnetic induction, first recorded 1905-10 — is unchanged; the cost engineering around it is not [S10].
For component-level specifications, see linear guide, and crossed roller guide.