Based on the experimental data of research into the thermal and gas-dynamic operation of shaft melting furnaces of nonferrous metallurgy, the main regularities in the development of thermal and gas-dynamic processes over the longitudinal and transverse sections of the aggregate are established. It is suggested to vary the nonuniformity of conditions of the heat treatment of starting materials by improvement of the uniformity of gas distribution due to the optimization of the tuyere supply of air blasting and materials with the use of distributive facilities. The efficiency of using a series of verified methods to vary the production parameters of the shaft smelting is shown, including the organized selection of gases from the layer of batch materials; using the energy of the acoustic field; heating the air blast to a temperature no lower than 300°C; enriching the air blast with oxygen; and introducing additions of natural gas, which is burned immediately in the batch layer.