Abstract: Iron carbide was produced by reacting of iron ore with(H₂+CH₄) gas mixture at 1 023 K.The effects of V₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ additives on iron carbide formation were experimentally investigated by thermogravimetry and XRD analysis.It was observed that the addition of V₂O₃ had significantly promoting effect on both iron ore reduction and iron carbide formation.The V₂O₃ addition also increased the conversion yields from iron ore to iron carbide,and improved the stability of iron carbide.When the content of the V₂O₃ was within 1 percent,with the content increasing,the rate of iron ore reduction and carbonization all accelerated notablely.When the content of the V₂O₃ was 2 or 3 percent,the reduction rate and the carbonization rate of the specimen were both smaller appreciably than that when the V₂O₃ content was 1 percent.It was also observed that the addition of Al₂O₃ had promoting effect on reduction of iron ore to some extent,but it has bad effect on the stability of iron carbide.