The selection of blast-furnace batch is considered. Software is developed for the calculation of the blast-furnace batch in forced startup (with controllable slag formation and reduction). In this approach, the first portion of slag-forming mixture and iron ore is introduced in the furnace shaft, and there is no need for gradual increase in the ore load. The software permits the compilation of reference material (the design characteristics of the blast furnaces, the parameters of preceding melts, the properties of the slag-forming mixture and iron ore, the properties of the coke, etc.); calculation of the batch composition and the properties of the hot metal and slag with specified additions of slag-forming mixture and fluxes and specified blast parameters; calculation of the optimal batch composition and selection of the blast parameters within the constraints on the thermal, slag, and gas-dynamic parameters and the quality of the hot metal produced; diagnostics; and presentation of the calculation results in tabular and graphical form, with subsequent storage in a database.