The treatment of industrial chrome tanning effluents by electrocoagulation (EC) in a laboratory-scale reactor was investigated. Mild-steel (MS) electrodes have been found to outperform aluminum (Al) electrodes in reducing the Cr(III) concentration to <2 mg L-1. The conversion of Fe(II) to Fe(III) is slow in the lower pH range (<6), and OH- ions generated during EC are amply available for Cr(III) removal by precipitation in the case of the MS electrode. Formation of Al(OH)(3)(s) in competition with Cr(OH)(3)(s) while consuming the OH-ion is a cause for lower Cr(III) removal with Al. EC with the MS electrode and chemical coagulation (CC) with addition of alkali proved to be equally efficient for removing Cr(III).