Abstract: The process of direct reduction of iron from vanadium extraction tailings by directly adding carbon was investigated. The effect of C/O ratio and reduction temperature and time on direct reduction of iron was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy etc. The result shows that with the reduction temperature and time of 1200℃ and 30 min respectively,and C/O ratio of 2.5,the metallization ratio of iron can reach about 85%; the metallization ratio increases with the increase of temperature and reduction time; during the reduction,the element Fe varies following Fe₂O₃→Fe₃O₄→FeO→Fe; the quality of the iron is affected with the extension of reduction time.