Long-handled spoons for taking molten metal samples · Deep-bowl forged or cast steel spoons dipped into a controlled pour stream, pouring into a test mould, sample size, oxidation of carbon and manganese, safety, and when immersion samplers are used instead
A molten metal sampling spoon is a long-handled steel ladle used to take a small amount of molten metal from a furnace, ladle or pour stream and pour it into a test mould, so the cast sample can be analysed. It is simple but exposes both the sample and the operator. Ask three things first: which metal, vessel and temperature you will sample, what sample shape and test mould your laboratory needs, and whether a spoon or an immersion sampler is the better tool for that analysis.
Hand sampling spoons (long-handled sample ladles) for molten steel, iron and non-ferrous metals, with their bowls, handles, coatings and matching test moulds. Disposable immersion samplers, automatic sampling probes, thermocouple lances and laboratory sample preparation are outside this page except where compared.
CNFX editorial research · Sources checked October 18, 2026 · 4 sources
US patent 4,112,772 (Device and method for obtaining a sample of liquid, 1978) describes the conventional practice when sampling molten steel teemed from a ladle: the spoon was a deep-bowl ladle on the end of a long handle, made of cast or forged steel, in various sizes and with a lip for pouring. The pour stream was slowed to a partial stream, the spoon dipped into one side of it and partly filled, and the metal poured into a small test mould on the platform. The casting gave a tapered sample 4 to 8 inches long and 1 to 2 inches square, which could be sawn or drilled for wet chemical, spectrographic or metallographic analysis, representing the ladle at intervals during pouring. [1]
The historical patent describes a tapered casting rather than a rectangular prism with fully defined end dimensions. Its stated length and cross-section range therefore do not establish the volume of the test mould or a minimum spoon capacity. Obtain the laboratory mould drawing and the required fill volume. [1]
Editorial note: tell the supplier the metal and temperature, the vessel or stream you sample from, the test mould size and shape your laboratory uses, and the handle length needed to keep the operator back from the metal.
Give the supplier the metal and alloy, sampling temperature, vessel or pour stream sampled, bowl volume and shape, pouring lip, handle length and grip, spoon material (cast or forged steel) and any refractory coating or wash, test mould dimensions, how the spoon is preheated and dried, inspection and replacement rules, and required protective equipment.
02
Weigh sampling errors, safety and immersion samplers
US 4,112,772 states that spoon sampling wastes time and material and exposes the molten metal to atmospheric oxygen, which can change the sample's chemistry depending on the steel grade and the operator's technique, the effect being strongest for carbon and manganese. It also requires arresting the stream and involves extreme safety hazards when the stream cannot be controlled. [1]
In its 1989 background discussion, US 4,838,336 describes disadvantages of spoon sampling and compares it with immersion samplers producing discs for spectrographic analysis, with a pin in the designs described. Its inlet glass tube feeds a split metal mould on a protected lance. The patent also discusses reaction between cardboard protection and the melt. This historical comparison does not establish the sampling method used by every present-day plant. [2]
Editorial note: if your laboratory needs spectrometer discs or accurate carbon and manganese results, ask whether a spoon is still suitable or whether immersion samplers should be specified instead.
03
Size the spoon bowl to the sample and the metal
SA-Foundry lists stamped steel sampling and casting spoons with bowls described as half-spherical and gives capacity by metal. Its AM-2 spoon for chemical-analysis and mechanical-test samples of steel and cast iron is stamped from 4 mm steel; its AM-1 for samples and small castings is stamped from steel up to 10 mm thick; its AL spoons for non-ferrous melts have two spouts for left- or right-handed pouring. [3]
The listing gives no handle lengths, so state the reach the operator needs from the furnace or ladle. Spoon samples are still exposed to air while being transferred, which the patents above identify as a source of change in carbon and manganese results. [3][1]
The table reproduces SA-Foundry’s stated diameters, volumes and metal-specific masses. The listing does not provide an internal-profile drawing or identify all diameter reference surfaces. Confirm the working capacity and the handle assembly from the ordered drawing rather than inferring usable volume from a nominal bowl diameter. [3]
2,300 g Al; 8,500 g Cu; 7,000 g Zn; spoon weighs 1,900 g [3]
State the metal, the sample mass or mould volume to fill, and the handle reach, and ask for bowl volume, wall thickness, handle length and the coating to apply before use.
04
Check the cup-to-handle joint and the spoon steel
US patent 3,329,308 (W. K. Pool, granted 1967) describes test ladle spoons dipped into electric or open-hearth furnace baths through the wicket hole, with the sample poured into a mould to form a small test ingot for the laboratory. It reports that two-part spoons, a cast cup welded to a handle rod laid in an upward-opening trough, failed at the welded joint: the shoulder under the handle bumped on the wicket hole corner on withdrawal, and molten steel built up and froze on the joint, heating and weakening it and carrying metal of one heat into the sample of the next. [4]
The patent gives the reason for the low-carbon steel: when a cup burns off and drops into the bath, low carbon steel keeps contamination of the heat as low as possible. Its downward-opening stem sheds molten metal back into the bath and shields the rod-end weld from the sample, which it says gives a much longer life than earlier constructions. [4]
Specify the cup material, handle material, weld arrangement and inspection separately. SA-Foundry describes stamped steel bowls, but the reviewed listing does not establish a one-piece bowl-and-handle construction or the absence of a welded handle joint. [4][3]
Half-round stem opening downward, wall thickness about that of the cup [4]
Joint design and drawing.
Handle joint
Rod end laid in the stem, butted against the cup wall and welded along both stem edges, at the rod end and at the stem end [4]
Weld locations and inspection.
Underside of handle
Straight and unobstructed, no shoulder to catch on the wicket hole [4]
Profile at the furnace opening.
Cup and handle steel
Preferably low-carbon steel with 0.100–0.200% carbon in the patent construction. [4]
Steel grade and carbon range.
05
Bowl, handle and the receiving test mould
The spoon transfers metal; the receiving mould establishes the laboratory sample shape. Confirm both interfaces and the cup-to-handle construction. [1][4]
Record the required sample and its receiving mould before selecting the bowl. Ask for the spoon’s working capacity, handle reach, material and joint drawing.
Field
What it means and published values
Ask the supplier for
Sample Volume Capacity (ml)
Obtain the actual mould fill volume; the tapered sample description does not establish a minimum bowl capacity. [1]
SA-Foundry lists 180 cm³ /4 mm for AM-2 and 1070 cm³ /up to 10 mm for AM-1; these are separate catalogue entries, not a universal capacity/thickness range. [3]
Volume, thickness, handle length.
07
Send the metal, sample and safety data together
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
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Compiled and source-reviewed by the CNFX editorial team.
Each manufacturer above links to the page on that company's own website where the product is listed, with the date we checked it. How we source and review
· Page last updated 13 October 2026
Buyer questions
How is a molten metal spoon sample taken?
The 1978 background in US 4,112,772 describes slowing a ladle pour stream, partly filling a deep-bowl long-handled steel spoon and pouring into a test mould. This is a historical description; the plant must establish its sampling and operator-protection procedure. [1]
Why can spoon samples give wrong analyses?
Exposure to air can change the chemistry, above all for carbon and manganese, depending on grade and operator technique. [1]
How does the cited patent compare spoon and immersion sampling?
The 1989 background of US 4,838,336 contrasts spoon sampling with immersion samplers producing disc samples for spectrographic analysis. It does not establish universal present-day practice. [2]
How much metal does a sampling spoon hold?
One maker lists a 70 mm, 180 cm³ steel spoon holding 1,260 g of cast iron and a 160 mm, 1,070 cm³ spoon holding 7,490 g. [3]
Sources and what still needs a direct check
Sources checked 2026-10-18. Three sources are US patents (1967, 1978, 1989) describing spoon sampling, spoon construction and the alternatives in their own terms; SA-Foundry lists its own spoons. Current plant practice and sampling standards may differ.
