A multi-purpose heating attachment designed primarily for X-ray four-circle diffractometers but applicable also for classical powder diffraction is presented. When working in re¯ection geometry, the air-cooled heating stage allows diffraction studies to be performed on plate-like samples up to 1173 K in the whole orientation space. This paper gives a detailed description of the assembly and important technical speci®cations for the performance of experiments. The heating characteristics of the heating stage, the displacement of the sample from the goniometer centre as a result of thermal expansion and the in¯uence of the protecting dome on the diffraction experiment are presented. The simple technical construction, the low weight, the small size and good heating performance make this equipment a general purpose heating attachment for Xray diffraction experiments in re¯ection geometry.