Hematite powder (Fe2O3) was ground in a planetary mill and the milling time and mill rotational speed were varied at three levels. The ground products were then characterized, to investigate size reduction and the mechanochemical effect, by X-ray diffraction (XRD) line broadening, specific surface area (SSA) and particle size and morphology analysis. The line broadening technique was used to determine the degree of crystallinity, crystallite size and lattice strain. The milled hematite particles revealed particle sizes in the nanometer range with a specific surface area of 14.96 m(2)/g. All milled samples exhibited the mechanochemical effect, where the degree of crystallinity ranged from 9.37 to 49.8%. The minimum crystallite size obtained was 17.1 nm with a degree of crystallinity of 9.37% when hematite was ground at 600 rpm for 10 h. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.