Abstract: The application of hydrogen gas for prereduction of manganese ore may substitute fossil carbon consumption and as such reduce CO2 emissions in manganese ferroalloy production. The pre-reduction behavior of Nchwaning manganese ore was investigated using a fixed bed reactor. Reduction rates at different temperatures and temperature programs were investigated, and particles were sieved after reduction to measure decrepitation. The reduction rate was measured by adding a tracer gas to the reducing gas and quantifying the off-gas by GC-analysis. Different particle size distributions of the input material were reduced to investigate the effect of particle size on reduction rate. Chemical analysis and XRD were used to characterize the raw and reduced material. The influence of particle size distribution and temperature on the oxygen removal rate are discussed. The manganese oxides were mostly reduced to MnO in the samples, while some iron oxide and carbonates remained. The reduction degree is improved by smaller particles and increased temperature.