A laboratory kiln, which may be used to study possible improvements in reduction processes for iron ore, has been developed. Associated equipment allows for the analysis of inlet and outlet gases and solids so that mass balances can be obtained for each element. Preliminary results relating to the operating variables of the kiln have been obtained and data showing the effect of residence times, gas composition and ore size for Consett sinter are presented. The application of the data to possible commercial kilns, using hydrocarbons as gas feeds, is discussed.