Abstract: An improved cover for use in conjunction with a furnace in performing a heating operation on a workpiece includes a support and an emission apparatus. The emission apparatus advantageously is in the form of a ceramic layer that has an emissivity value greater than that of the surface to which the emission layer is applied. In other embodiments, an emission layer can be applied to both the heated and non-heated surfaces of a cover. The emission apparatus reduces costs due to one or more factors such as a less costly material requirement, a reduced heating requirement, and an increased service life.