In a process for producing liquid pig iron (24) or intermediate steel products form finely divided iron-containing material (5) in a melt gasification region of a melt gasifier (1), the iron-containing material (5) is melted on passing through the bed (27) consisting of solid carbon carriers (16', 16'') with the supply of carbon-containing material and oxygen-containing gas and with the simultaneous generation of a reducing gas. In order to be able to implement the process with a charge consisting of up to 100 % fine ore, while reliably preventing the separation of the fine ore fed, an inlet (18) for the finely divided coal (19), like coal dust and/or other carbon-containing materials with volatile components, and a line (21) supplying an oxygen-containing gas open in the vicinity of the reducing gas outlet (2, 17) of themelt gasifier (1), the finely divided coal (19) and/or other carbon-containing materials with volatile components are converted on entering the melt gasifier (1) into finely divided coke (19'), which is extracted together with the reducing gas taken from the melt gasifier (1) and separated in a separator (3).