A device for loading smelting furnaces, said furnaces having a loading mouth placed above the opening of a crucible, said device including: - a container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11) open on the top in which the metal charge to be smelted is stored, said container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11) being delimited by a side wall (1, 2, 3) with overturned frustoconical shape, separatable from a base cone (10, 11) that is projected inside the space delimited by said side wall; - gripping means (16, 17, 18, 19) connected to the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11), suitable for allowing the mechanical lifting and the emptying of the same, said gripping means (16, 17, 18, 19) including a guide rod connected to the vertex of the base cone; - second gripping means (4, 6, 7) connected to said side wall (1, 2, 3) and suitable for providing a seat for said guide rod, allowing the sliding of the side wall (1, 2, 3) in the direction of the guide rod for the emptying of the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11); characterized in that said side wall (1, 2, 3) is constituted by a rigid metal mesh comprised between two metal rings (2, 3), of which the lower ring acts as an abutment against said base cone (10, 11) during lifting, said base cone (10, 11) being formed by a rigid metal mesh which constitutes the single side wall thereof, connected at the base to a metal ring which comes to press against said abutment ring, the loading device also including: - means (12, 13, 14, 15) capable of providing a support on the furnace for the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11), said support means including a plurality of legs (12, 13, 14, 15) arranged around said base cone (10, 11), each leg being constituted by: • a first segment below said ring of the base cone (10, 11) and welded thereto; • the first segment being contiguous with a second segment that is upwardly tilted outside the base cone (10, 11); • the second segment being contiguous with a third horizontal segment nearly at the same height as the vertex of the base cone (10, 11); • the third segment being contiguous with a downwardly-directed terminal segment, of smaller length than the second segment and having, at the end, a foot capable of providing a support on the furnace, said support means (12, 13, 14, 15) of the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11) allowing the partial insertion of the base cone (10, 11) inside the crucible. - a container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11) open on the top in which the metal charge to be smelted is stored, said container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11) being delimited by a side wall (1, 2, 3) with overturned frustoconical shape, separatable from a base cone (10, 11) that is projected inside the space delimited by said side wall; - gripping means (16, 17, 18, 19) connected to the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11), suitable for allowing the mechanical lifting and the emptying of the same, said gripping means (16, 17, 18, 19) including a guide rod connected to the vertex of the base cone; - second gripping means (4, 6, 7) connected to said side wall (1, 2, 3) and suitable for providing a seat for said guide rod, allowing the sliding of the side wall (1, 2, 3) in the direction of the guide rod for the emptying of the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11); - means (12, 13, 14, 15) capable of providing a support on the furnace for the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11), said support means including a plurality of legs (12, 13, 14, 15) arranged around said base cone (10, 11), each leg being constituted by: • a first segment below said ring of the base cone (10, 11) and welded thereto; • the first segment being contiguous with a second segment that is upwardly tilted outside the base cone (10, 11); • the second segment being contiguous with a third horizontal segment nearly at the same height as the vertex of the base cone (10, 11); • the third segment being contiguous with a downwardly-directed terminal segment, of smaller length than the second segment and having, at the end, a foot capable of providing a support on the furnace, said support means (12, 13, 14, 15) of the container (1, 2, 3, 10, 11) allowing the partial insertion of the base cone (10, 11) inside the crucible. • a first segment below said ring of the base cone (10, 11) and welded thereto; • the first segment being contiguous with a second segment that is upwardly tilted outside the base cone (10, 11); • the second segment being contiguous with a third horizontal segment nearly at the same height as the vertex of the base cone (10, 11); • the third segment being contiguous with a downwardly-directed terminal segment, of smaller length than the second segment and having, at the end, a foot capable of providing a support on the furnace,