A carbon fiber production method includes a carbon fiber production step including an oxidation step and a carbonization step; and an exhaust gas processing step including a heat exchange step; an external air mixing step; and a mixed external air supplying step in which the mixed external air is supplied to at least one step that uses heated gas in the steps in the carbon fiber production step; and among the exhaust gases, a high heating value exhaust gas having a heating value of 250 kcal/Nm.sup.3 or higher is supplied to an inlet side of an exhaust gas combustion apparatus and a low heating value exhaust gas having a heating value lower than 150 kcal/Nm.sup.3 is supplied to an outlet side of the exhaust gas combustion apparatus, respectively.

A carbon fiber production method includes a carbon fiber production step including an oxidation step and a carbonization step; and an exhaust gas processing step including a heat exchange step; an external air mixing step; and a mixed external air supplying step in which the mixed external air is supplied to at least one step that uses heated gas in the steps in the carbon fiber production step; and among the exhaust gases, a high heating value exhaust gas having a heating value of 250 kcal/Nm.sup.3 or higher is supplied to an inlet side of an exhaust gas combustion apparatus and a low heating value exhaust gas having a heating value lower than 150 kcal/Nm.sup.3 is supplied to an outlet side of the exhaust gas combustion apparatus, respectively.

An object is to provide a production method for a precarbonized fiber bundle and a precarbonization furnace capable of continuously producing the precarbonized fiber bundle for a long period of time by efficiently discharging a decomposition gas containing a tar component generated when performing a precarbonization treatment at the time of carbon fiber production and retained in a heat treatment chamber throughout the heat treatment chamber. The production method for a precarbonized fiber bundle includes allowing an aligned stabilized fiber bundle vertically arranged in one or two or more tiers to travel horizontally in a heat treatment chamber and heat-treating and precarbonizing the stabilized fiber bundle at a maximum temperature of 300 to 1,000 C. using an inert gas supplied from an inlet side and an outlet side of the heat treatment chamber, in which a flow rate ratio Q2/Q1 satisfies Formula (1) below, where Q1 represents a volume flow rate of gas in a first exhaust discharged out of the heat treatment chamber from a position higher than a position of an uppermost tier of the traveling stabilized fiber bundle, and Q2 represents a volume flow rate of gas in a second exhaust discharged out of the heat treatment chamber from a position lower than the position of the uppermost tier of the traveling stabilized fiber bundle:
0.01Q2/Q10.5Formula (1).