A method for producing direct from ore an iron in the form of either sinter or pig that is suitable for charging in steel furnaces. Ore, limestone, and carbon in the form of coal, coke, or oil coke in the proportions of 40:8:5 are dried, crushed to about 1/16 in (1.6 mm), intimately mixed, and fed into the upper end of a sloping rotary kiln.