Refractory ceramics are found on metal-production or metalworking sites. Scientific examination must verify that the industry being investigated is in fact metal and not, for example, glassmaking; then it has to be determined how these ceramics were used, what ores were smelted in the furnaces, and what metals were melted in crucibles or cast in the molds. The technological details of the processes need to be determined. Examples of refractory ceramics from Rio Tinto and Netherton and Iron Age coin molds from three sites illustrate the problems which need to be addressed. The experimental procedures using using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray fluorescent spectroscopy are described.