A process for producing a pre-reduced iron which comprises: a drying step in which a raw iron oxide material selected from the group consisting of iron industry dust resulting from a steelmaking process and iron ore is dried to a given water content; a mixing step in which the raw iron oxide material which has undergone the drying step is mixed with a reducing material having a given water content to obtain a mixture; a pulverization step in which the mixture obtained in the mixing step is pulverized to 70-500 µm in terms of 80% cumulative particle diameter in sieving; a kneading step in which the water content of the mixture obtained by the pulverization step is regulated and then the mixture is kneaded; a briquetting step in which the mixture which has undergone the kneading step is briquetted to obtain briquettes; and a production step in which the briquettes obtained in the briquetting step are reduced with a rotary hearth furnace to produce a pre-reduced iron.
