An apparatus and method for producing spheroidal metal particles having high size and shape uniformity from a melt from a highly reactive metal melt, with the following steps: melting the metal starting material under a hermetic seal; transporting the metal melt in a closed granulating tube from the melting furnace to at least one melt outlet; discharging the metal from the metal outlet via a rotary plate in the form of discrete drops to a melt stream which disintegrates into drops by the time it strikes the rotary plate; conducting a shielding gas flow into the region of the melt exiting from the melt outlet, collecting the melt on the rotary plate in the form of discrete melt drop, solidifying the melt drops into granule particles by contact with the colder surface of the rotary plate, and conducting the granule particles off the rotary plate for packaging/further processing.