Laser-induced oxidation will change the laser reflectivity and color features of metal surface. Both changes can be theoretically calculated based on the oxidation kinetics and the optical constants of oxides. For the purpose of calculation, the laser-induced oxidation process of pure polycrystalline iron was studied. Samples with various color features were obtained by continuous wave Nd:YAG fiber laser (1.06 mu m) irradiation depending on progressive durations in the intensity of 1.90 W/cm(2). The real-time reflectivity and temperature were measured with integral sphere and thermocouples. The irradiated surface morphology and phase structures were characterized by microscope, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum. It was found that the first formed magnetite made the surface reflectivity decline rapidly and caused the "positive feedback" effect because of molecular absorption. The later formed hematite oscillated the reflectivity by interference effect. The oxide films were thin, orientated and badly crystallized. The oxidation process was influenced by the grain orientation of the metal substrate. These results made the mechanism of laser-induced oxidation of iron clear and provided available experimental data for accurate modeling of the oxidation kinetics. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.