Electric Arc & Induction Furnace Patents: Leaders, Trends 2026
Electric Arc and Induction Melting Furnace Patents: Who Holds the Ground
Concentration is modest. the five most active filers together hold 16.4% of all 2,035 records in scope, and the ten most active hold 29.1% — leaving a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants. Filings moved from 36 in 2017 to a peak of 62 in 2024, the last year that can be treated as complete given typical publication lag. The 2021-to-2024 span alone shows a 17% increase. Readings for 2025 and 2026 are still filling in and should not be read as a slowdown.
- 1GRAFTECH INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC4.3%
- 2PROCESS TECH INT INC3.2%
- 3LAIR LIQUIDE SA POUR LETUDE & LEXPLOITATION DES PROCEDES GEORGES CLAUDE3.0%
- 4DANIELI & C OFFICINE MECCANICHE SPA3.0%
- 5HATCH LTD2.9%
See the full electric arc and induction melting furnaces analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on this landscape
Who are the leading patent holders in electric arc and induction melting furnace technology?
The ranking covers 100 companies drawn from the 2,035 records in scope, and no single company dominates it. The top-ranked assignee holds 87 records, with the fifth-ranked holder at 59 and the tenth at 40 — a gradual taper rather than a sharp cliff. Combined, the five most active assignees hold 16.4% of all records and the ten most active hold 29.1%, meaning the majority of filings sit with a long tail of equipment vendors, steelmakers and process specialists rather than a concentrated group of leaders.
Is patent filing activity in this field growing or slowing down?
Filing volume rose from 53 records in 2021 to 62 in 2024, a 17% increase over that span and the field’s highest year on record so far. Figures for 2025 and 2026 appear lower, but that reflects publication lag — patent applications typically publish around 18 months after filing, so the most recent one to two years are always undercounted at any point in time. Based on the 2021-2024 trend, this is an actively growing field, not a declining one.
What technology areas get the most patent claims in electric arc and induction furnaces?
Steelmaking process claims (IPC class C21C) appear in 38.8% of the 2,035 records, and furnace details and accessories (F27D) in 33.2%, making these the two densest claim areas. Furnaces and kilns generally (F27B) and electric heating circuits (H05B) follow closely behind. Alloy-specific claims (C22C) and inorganic compound claims (C01B) are comparatively thin, at 3.6% and 5.3% respectively, which may indicate room for more specific claiming in those branches.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electric Arc and Induction Melting Furnaces covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.