Ladles can be "lip pour" design, "teapot spout" design,  "lip-axis design" or "bottom pour" design:
*For lip pour design the ladle is tilted and the molten metal pours out of the ladle like water from a pitcher.
*The teapot spout design, like a teapot, takes liquid from the base of the ladle and pours it out via a lip-pour spout. Any impurities in the molten metal will form on the top of the metal so by taking the metal from the base of the ladle, the impurities are not poured into the mould. The same idea is behind the bottom pour process.
*Lip-axis ladles have the pivot point of the vessel as close to the tip of the pouring spout as can be practicable. Therefore as the ladle is rotated the actual pouring point has very little movement. Lip-axis pouring is often used on molten metal pouring systems where there is a need to automate the process as much as possible and the operator controls the pouring operation at a remote distance.
*For bottom pour ladles, a stopper rod is inserted into a tapping hole in the bottom of the ladle.  To pour metal the stopper is raised vertically to allow the metal to flow out the bottom of the ladle. To stop pouring the stopper rod is inserted back into the drain hole. Large ladles in the steelmaking industry may use slide gates below the taphole.
Ladles can be either open-topped or covered. Covered ladles have a (sometimes removable) dome-shaped lid to contain radiant heat; they lose heat slower than open-topped ladles. Small ladles do not commonly have covers, although a ceramic blanket may be used instead (where available).
Medium and large ladles which are suspended from a crane have a bail which holds the ladle on shafts, called trunnions. To tilt the ladle a gearbox is used and this is typically a worm gear. The gear mechanism may be hand operated with a large wheel or may be operated by an electric motor or pneumatic motor. Powered rotation allows the ladle operator to be moved to a safe distance and control the rotation of the ladle via a pendant or radio remote control. Powered rotation also allows the ladle to have a number of rotation speeds which may be beneficial to the overall casting process. Powered rotation obviously also reduces the effort required by the ladle operator and allows high volumes of molten metal to be transferred and poured for long periods without operator fatigue. Where the ladle is fitted with a manually operated gearbox, the type of gearbox most commonly used is the worm and wheel design because in most practical circumstances, and when correctly maintained it can be considered as "self-locking" and does not need an internal friction brake to regulate the tilting speed of the ladle. Other types of gear system can also be used but they have to be fitted with an additional braking system that can hold the ladle if the operator takes his hand off the hand-wheel.
Lip-axis ladles may also use hydraulic rams to tilt the ladle. The largest ladles are un-geared and are typically poured using a special, two-winch crane, where the main winch carries the ladle while the second winch engages a lug at the bottom of the ladle. Raising the second winch then rotates the ladle on its trunnions.
Ladles are often designed for special purposes such as adding alloys to the molten metal. Ladles may also have porous plugs inserted into the base, so inert gases can be bubbled through the ladle to enhance alloying or metallic treatment practices.