Abstract: In order to study the feasibility of underground sludge recovery in skarn mines，taking a skarn iron mine as the research background，a series of sludge recovery research and practice are carried out in view of the problems of more sludge，long cleaning time，difficult treatment and high cost in this type of underground mines.Through the sampling of sludge in the drainage ditch，sedimentation tank and sump of each production section，the grade test is carried out. It is concluded that the average grade of sludge iron content is 22.41 % ，which is greater than the boundary grade and had recovery value. By analyzing the causes of underground sludge，formulating sludge recovery plan and carrying out sludge recovery practice， not only the iron ore resources in the sludge are extracted，but also the service life of the underground drain‐ age pump is improved，and the metal recovery rate is improved and the ore loss rate is reduced. It is further proved that the sludge of the skarn type mine has good utilization value，and provides a feasible reference ex‐ ample for similar mines in underground sludge recovery.

Key words: skarn iron mine, sludge recovery, grade test