This paper describes investigations on the synthesis of a layer from an iron and carbon powder mixture under the influence of pulsed laser radiation. It was observed that regions with different carbon concentrations are formed in the alloy. In the regions of high carbon concentration a carbide phase of the Fe1-xCx type is formed, where x varies from 0.265 to 0.285. The carbon concentration in the carbide phase depends insignificantly on the concentration of the initial mixture and on the laser irradiation exposure time. In the regions of lower carbon concentration a ferrite is formed, the carbon concentration of which does not exceed 0.2 at.%. Investigations showed that gamma-Fe and carbide phases are formed both in the hyperfine form (crystal size, about 30 nm) and in larger (ferromagnetic) forms of the crystals.