Coal combustion in an iron ore sintering bed is a key parameter that determines quality of the sintered ores and productivity of the process. In this study, effects of the different types of coal - coke and anthracite - on the combustion in the iron ore sintering bed are investigated by modeling and experiment. Fuel characteristics of coke and anthracite are observed through a set of basic analysis and thermo-gravimetric analysis. Coke has a higher reactivity than anthracite due to the difference of surface area and density, and these characteristics are reflected in the 1-D unsteady simulation of the iron ore sintering bed. Calculation results show that different reactivity of the fuel can affect the bed combustion.