A process for the upgrading of the chromium content of ferrochromium powder has been investigated on a laboratory scale. The overall process consists of nitriding the ferrochromium to form Fe4N and CrN, which exist as two separate phases. In acidic solution, Fe4N reacts readily, whereas under certain conditions, CrN is inert; this offers a selective way of removing the iron phase. Finally, the CrN can be dissociated under moderate vacuum at elevated temperatures to yield chromium containing 2 pct iron and less than 0.05 pct nitrogen. The kinetics and equilibria of nitriding using nitrogen and ammonia have been studied as a function of temperature and gas composition. X-ray powder diffraction identified CrN, Cr2N, FeN, and Fe4N with the relative proportions varying with the nitriding conditions. As the lower nitride Cr2N, which formed on nitriding above 1073 K, was found to be susceptible to attack by acids, the iron was leached from samples nitrided below 1073 K where the products consisted of CrN and Fe4N. The optimum efficiency of iron leaching was found to depend upon the nitriding and leaching times, leaching temperatures, stirring rates, and acid concentrations. The dissociation of CrN was examined in a vacuum furnace, and dissociation was found to proceed rapidly above 1423 K.