在我国，龙窑的历史悠久，其应用遍及明代以前南方主要产瓷省份，如江苏、浙江、福建、广东、江西和湖南等地。龙窑之所以得名，是因为其结构多倾斜于山坡或土堆上，与地平线形成10至20度的角度，外观酷似龙状，因此被称为龙窑，又称横焰窑。这些陶瓷工艺设施通常具备50至150立方米的容积，长30至80米，宽1.5至2.5米，高1.6至2米。在沿着窑道两侧分布有若干投柴孔或出入点供燃料松柴使用。而烟囱设计相对低矮，只需一米高，并且通道狭小，上下温差较大，这使得龙窑的建设成本显著低廉。

dragon kiln, with its history dating back to the Ming dynasty in China, was widely used in major ceramic-producing regions such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Hunan before that time. The name "dragon kiln" comes from the fact that these structures are often built on slopes or mounds of earth at an angle of 10-20 degrees relative to the horizon, resembling a dragon's shape.

The typical dimensions of a dragon kiln include a volume ranging from 50 to 150 cubic meters; lengths between 30 and 80 meters; widths of approximately 1.5 to 2.5 meters; and heights ranging from 1.6 to two meters along the length of the kiln there are several openings for throwing on fuel or loading raw materials.

The chimneys are relatively low-standing at just one meter high while access routes through the kilns tend to be narrow and low-ceilinged resulting in significant cost savings for construction purposes.

One notable feature of dragon kilns is their higher thermal efficiency compared to traditional vertical flue kilns which translates into lower unit production costs due shorter firing periods leading ultimately in greater output volumes per cycle.

However it is worth noting that this method has its drawbacks such as increased labor intensity during both loading/unloading processes limiting potential mechanization/automation applications further complicating temperature control challenges affecting overall quality consistency across entire batches produced within these facilities

Additionally South China also had another type known as segmented Dragon Kilns which served as precursors for subsequent developments like tiered furnaces mentioned later