Abstract: Described herein is a smelting reduction process for smelting and reducing an iron oxide material by introducing same into a smelting reduction furnace together with a solid carbonaceous material, a fluxing agent and an oxygen-containing gas, process comprising: subjecting part or all of the solid carbonaceous material to primary combustion using an oxygen-containing gas with an oxygen content corresponding to a theoretical air ratio of 0.4 to 0.9: separating the resulting reducing gas from combustion residue of the solid carbonaceous material; and introducing the reducing gas into a smelting reduction furnace to effect secondary combustion with supply of a separately introduced oxygen-containing gas for smelting and reducing said iron material.