IN A PROCESS FOR THE DIRECT REDUCTION OF PARTICULATE IRON-OXIDE-CONTAINING MATERIAL BY THE FLUIDIZED BED METHOD REFORMED GAS IS MIXED WITH TOP GAS FORMING IN THE DIRECT REDUCTION OF THE IRON-OXIDE-CONTAINING MATERIAL AND IS FED TO A FLUIDIZED-BED REDUCTION ZONE AS A REDUCING GAS. TO LOWER THE ENERGY DEMAND AND UTILIZING THE POTENTIAL OF THE REDUCING GAS, BOTH THE TOP GAS AND THE REFORMED GAS ARE SUBJECTED TO CO2 SCRUBBING AND THE REDUCING GAS FORMED BY MIXING TOP GAS WITH REFORMED GAS IS ADJUSTED TO AN H2 CONTENT RANGING BETWEEN 45 AND 75, PREFERABLY BETWEEN 50 AND 65, AND TO A CO CONTENT RANGING BETWEEN 10 AND 20(FIG .1)