Abstract: As part of a research project to develop a novel clean smelting process for the comprehensive utilization of Hongge vanadium titanomagnetite (HVTM), in this study, the effect of Cr₂O₃ addition on the oxidation induration mechanism of HVTM pellets (HVTMPs) was investigated in detail. The results showed that the compressive strength of the HVTMPs was greatly weakened by the Cr₂O₃ addition, mainly because of a substantial increase in the porosity of the HVTMPs. The Cr₂O₃ addition marginally affected the phase composition but greatly affected the microstructural changes of the HVTMPs. Increased amounts of Cr₂O₃ resulted in a decrease in the uniform distribution of the hematite grains and in an increase in the Fe-Cr solid solutions (Fe_1.2Cr_0.8O₃ and Fe_0.7Cr_1.3O₃) embedded in the hematite grains. Moreover, the compact hematite was destroyed by forming a dispersed structure and the hematite recrystallization was hindered during the oxidation induration, which adversely affected the compressive strength. On the basis of these results, a schematic was formulated to describe the oxidation induration mechanism with different amounts of added Cr₂O₃. This study provides theoretical and technical foundations for the effective production of HVTMPs and a reference for chromium-bearing minerals.