An apparatus to feed and pre-heat a metal charge to a melting furnace of a steelworks comprises a feeding and pre-heating tower separate from the melting furnace provided with at least one compartment to temporarily contain said metal charge, transfer means to transfer said metal charge to said melting furnace and conveying means to convey the fumes exiting from the melting furnace to said compartment. The apparatus also comprises a post-combustion chamber, disposed adjacent to and below said compartment, and connected on one side to said compartment and on another side to said conveying means, the post-combustion chamber being configured to determine the expansion of the fumes introduced by the conveying means and to direct said expanded fumes toward said compartment along a path such as to determine a desired residence time of said fumes suitable to obtain at least the substantial complete combustion of the unburned gases present in said fumes.