Determination of the limiting factors in the behaviour of iron ore feed in the blast furnace is considered, and the behaviour of sinter and pellets in blast furnaces is compared. A new procedure for simulating blast furnace operation has been used to find the physicochemical rules governing formation of a melt from iron ore materials in the cohesive zone. It is concluded that reliable control and automation of blast furnace operation require the use of a uniform mixture of sinter and pellets, the high temperature properties of the pellets being made as close as possible to those of sinter by reducing their gangue content and fluxing with additives containing Ca and Mg to the economically desirable level.