The thermal characteristics of the electroslag remelting process have been investigated on a laboratory scale unit. The heat generation and distribution in the slag bed is discussed. The voltage gradients in the slag bed are predicted using a resistance network analogue and tested against experimental results. A self-consistent model for electrode temperature gradients in the electroslag remelting process has been tested against experimental results. An unsteady-state method has been used to determine the electrical resistance and the overall heat transfer coefficient of the interface region, liquid slag/slag skin/copper wall in the electroslag furnace. An accurate heat balance of the process is carried out on laboratory scale ingots. Attention has been devoted to the influence of various melt parameters i.e. polarity, power input, geometry, atmosphere etc. on the melt rate. The power requirements and the melt rate for industrial ingots are predicted and compared with the data collected from the literature. The liquid metal pool volumes in ESR ingots are predicted from the operational data. The pool profiles are computed using a finite difference technique and compared with the experimentally obtained profiles.