The ladles used in the steel industry are submitted to high thermomechanical solicitations. An improvement of steel ladle performance requires an optimised design of refractory structures. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of finite element analysis tools that enable the behaviour of steel ladle refractory linings to be simulated. After a description of the vessels, the thermomechanical properties of refractories are de tailed and constitutive equations are proposed. An elastic model and a damage model of complex refractory-lined structures are presented to demonstrate the practical relevance of such tools.