The Krupp–Renn process was a direct reduction steelmaking process used from the 1930s to the 1970s. It used a rotary furnace and was one of the few technically and commercially successful direct reduction processes in the world, acting as an alternative to blast furnaces due to their coke consumption. The Krupp-Renn process consumed mainly hard coal and had the unique characteristic of partially melting the charge. This method is beneficial for processing low-quality or non-melting ores, as their waste material forms a protective layer that can be easily separated from the iron. It generates Luppen, nodules of pre-reduced iron ore, which can be easily melted down.
The first industrial furnaces emerged in the 1930s, firstly in Nazi Germany and then in the Japanese Empire. During the 1950s, new facilities were constructed, notably in Czechoslovakia and West Germany. The process was discontinued in the early 1970s, with a few nuances.
It was unproductive, intricate to master, and only pertinent to certain ores. In the beginning of the 21st century, Japan modernized the process to manufacture ferronickel, which is the sole surviving variant.