据历史记载，宣德三年，皇帝下旨铸铜炉，合计一万八千余件，现竟然失落得几乎无迹可寻，就连台湾的故宫博物院，也仅收藏了四座。其实，当时宣炉除了供御用外，也用来分赐给诸王、臣下及京内各郊祭坛，甚至于各地的闻名寺院，分布得非常广泛，然而在改朝换代之际，许多宣炉（包括后仿炉和私款炉），不但失散了，甚至于销毁，至今宣炉已成为可遇不可求的珍品，后仿炉、私款炉亦珍贵。原因是宣炉在短短的四五百年间遭到了多种劫难。
According to historical records, declared three years, imperial decree cast copper furnace, a total of ten thousand pieces of 8000, now unexpectedly lost almost untraceable, even Taiwan's the Imperial Palace Museum, is a collection of four seats. In fact, at that time, in addition to Xuan furnace for the queen, is also used to give the kings, ministers and Beijing in the suburban altar, even around the famous temple, was very widely distributed, but in the change dynasties occasion, many (including Xuan furnace furnace and furnace after the fake private money), not only lost, even since the destruction, Xuan furnace has become a goodly treasure, after the imitation of furnace, furnace also precious private money. The reason is that the Xuan furnace has been subjected to a variety of difficulties in a short period of four hundred or five hundred years.