A continuous catenary furnace is a continuous horizontal furnace most often used for annealing stainless-steel strip. A long, thin load is supported by rollers at the entrance and exit, and therefore hangs in the shape of a catenary curve within the furnace. With a light, thin load such as strip, heating capacity may be in the range of 100 to 300 psf of hearth. As with all furnaces, the authors recommend developing a heating curve for the specific load and using that curve to determine necessary total furnace length.