Abstract: An electrode for a smelting furnace comprises an elongate casing including a plurality of spaced, inwardly projecting ribs extending radially from an inner surface of the casing towards the center of the casing. A central core of a pre-baked electrode, typically a solid or hollow pre-baked graphite electrode, is disposed within the casing free of the projecting ribs and defines a space between the core and the inner surface of the casing. A heating zone is located intermediate the ends of the casing so that a carbonaceous electrode paste received or receivable within the space between the core and the inner surface of the casing is calcined into a baked, hard form upon entering the heating zone. The projecting ribs assist in baking the electrode paste and in anchoring or supporting the electrode to reduce the risk of nipple or joint fracture of adjacent pre-baked electrodes. The electrodes are particularly useful in the smelting of ferrochromium and in the reduction of ores such as ilmenite.