In this study, we analyze the softening and melting behaviors of the CaO-FeO-SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 -MgO system for improving gas permeability in a blast furnace. The temperature of the oxide is increased to 1 723 or 1 773 K in a CO/CO 2 mixture; the softening and melting temperatures and the temperature of penetration into the coke bed are measured. Because the CO/CO 2 ratio in the atmosphere influences the stable state of iron or iron oxide, the softening and melting behaviors are investigated for numerous CO/CO 2 ratios. We observe that the reduction of the sample progresses in an atmosphere with a high CO/CO 2 ratio, and thus, the softening temperature increases. Because the composition of the oxidation phase influences the solidus and liquidus temperatures, the influence of basicity on the phenomena is also investigated, and a method of reducing the difference between the softening and dripping temperatures is discussed.