Chinese descriptions of alchemical laboratory equipment vary among texts and traditions, but share some common terminology. The following outline concerns alchemical hardware rather than liturgical or magical artifacts such as the sword, sun and moon mirrors, and peach-wood talismans.
The alchemy laboratory was called the Chamber of Elixirs ( ,  , or  ). Sources differ about how to construct one. One text says the Chamber is ideally built near a mountain stream on in a secluded place (compare a clandestine drug lab), and has two doors, facing east and south; another says it should never be built over an old well or tomb, and has doors facing in all directions except north.
A layered "laboratory bench" called   "altar; platform" was placed either in the center or along a wall of the Chamber. It was commonly depicted as a three-tiered clay stove platform, with eight ventilating openings on each tier—8 numerologically signifying   (lit. eight directions) "eight points of the compass; all directions". The alchemists heating apparatus, interchangeably called   stove; furnace or   (kitchen) stove, was placed on the highest tier of the  platform. Owing to inconsistent textual terminology, it translates as stove or furnace in some sources and as oven or combustion chamber' in others. Depending upon the alchemical formula, rice hulls, charcoal, or horse manure served as fuel.
A  alchemical   crucible; cauldron was placed over the  stove or sometimes inside it. The   double crucible was commonly made of red clay and had two halves joined to each other by their mouths. Another type of crucible had an iron lower half and clay upper one. After placing the ingredients in a crucible, the alchemist would hermetically seal it by applying several layers of a lute clay preparation inside and outside. The classic alchemical luting mixture was   Six-and-One Mud with seven ingredients, typically alum, Turkestan rock salt ( ), lake salt, arsenolite, oyster shells, red clay, and talc.
Two common types of open alchemical reaction vessels were called   tripod; container; cauldron and   box; casing; container; aludel. Ding  originally named a "tripod cauldron" Chinese ritual bronze, but alchemists used the term (and  ) in reference to numerous metal or clay instruments with different shapes and functions.  generally named both pots and various other reaction vessels to which fire was applied externally—as distinguished from  that contained fire within.   (an old character for   cupboard; cabinet) was an alchemical name for a reaction vessel casing that was placed within a reaction chamber. Broadly speaking,  had lids while  were open at the top.
Besides the more open bowl-like or crucible forms of reaction vessels, whether lidded or not, many kinds of sealed containers were employed. Two common ones were the   (lit. divine chamber) corresponding to the aludel subliming pot used in Arabic alchemy, and the   pyx; bomb vessel composed of two roughly hemispherical crucible-like bowls with flanges placed mouth to mouth.
In addition to these basic tools, the alchemical apparatus also includes both common utensils (like mortars and pestles) and various specialized laboratory instruments for steaming, condensation, sublimation, distillation, and extraction.