| Heating methodology | Advantages | Disadvantages | Application |
| Resistance heating | Simple, practical, cheap | Difficult in control of zone length; more risk on contamination from container | Most common heating element; more suitable for small charges with modest melting point (less than 500˚C) |
| Induction heating | Providing higher power; Shorter zone can be established; providing stirring degree; less possibility of contamination from container | Occupy more floor space; expensive; power probably changing sharply as the variation of position, conductivity, and thickness of the charge | Semiconductors and most metals |
| Electrical discharge | Melt the refractory metal | Demand on vacuum system; expensive | Refractory metals |
| Radiation heating | More feasible to get short zone length; less possibility of contamination from container; possible to melt refractory metals | Need one pair of spherical concave mirror; Occupy more floor space; precise radiation path and focus | Most Metals |