Material is put on a sinter machine in two layers. The bottom layer may vary in thickness from . A 12 to 20 mm sinter fraction is used, also referred to as the hearth layer. The second, covering layer consists of mixed materials, making for a total bed height of . The mixed materials are applied with drum feeders and roll feeders, which distributes the nodules in certain depth throughout the sinterring machine . The upper layer is smoothed using a leveler. The material, also known as a charge, enters the ignition furnace into rows of multi-slit burners. In the case of one plant, the first (ignition) zone has eleven burners. The next (soaking/annealing) zone typically offers 12 burners. Air is sucked from the bottom of the bed of mixed material throughout the sintering machine. Fire penetrates the mixed material gradually, until it reaches the hearth layer. This end point of burning is called burn through point (BTP). The hearth layer, which is nothing but sinter in smaller size, restricts sticking of hot sinter with pallets. BTP is achieved in a certain zone of sinter machine, to optimize the process, by means of several temperature measuring instrument placed throughout the sinter machine. After completion of burning, the mix converts into sinter, which then breaks into smaller size by sinter breaker. After breaking into small sizes, it cools down in cooler (linear or circular) by means of forced air. At discharge of sinter cooler, temperature of sinter is maintained as low, so that the hot sinter can be transported by a conveyor belt made of rubber. Necessary precautions are taken to trace any existence of fire in the belt and necessary extinguishing is done by spraying water. Then this product is being passed through a jaw-crusher, where the size of sinter is further reduced (~ 50 mm) into smaller size. Then the complete mixture is being passed through two screens. Smallest sinter fines (< 5 mm) are stored in proportioning bins and reused for preparing sinter again through mixing and nodulizing drum and fed to sinter machine for burning. A part of the smaller one ( 5 – 20 mm) is used for hearth layer in sinter machine and the rest is taken to the blast furnace along with the biggest sized sinters.
The temperature is typically maintained between  in the ignition zone and between 900 and 1000 °C in the soaking zone to prevent sudden quenching of the sintered layer. The top 5 mm from screens goes to the conveyor carrying the sinter for the blast furnace and, along with blast furnace grade sinter, either goes to sinter storage bunkers or to BF bunkers. Blast furnace-grade sinter consists of particles sized 5 to 12 mm as well as 20 mm and above.