<p>The mineral composition of the sinter affects the quality of cold-bonded briquettes (CBB), which are prepared from returned sinter fines and serve as a cleaner blast furnace charge. Pulverization rate, compressive strength, reduction disintegration index (RDI) and compressive strength after reduction experiment were tested to analyze the experimental parameters of CBB under the influence of different basicities and sintering time. The results show that when the basicity of CBB is increased from 0.5 to 1.5, the pulverization rate increases, and performance indexes such as compressive strength, RDI, and compressive strength exhibit a decreasing trend. When the basicity is increased from 1.5 to 3.0, all the aforementioned performance indexes are improved. When the sintering time is extended from 0 to 8&#xa0;h, the properties mentioned above are improved. The results of X-ray diffraction, microstructure, and thermodynamic calculations confirm that the hematite in the mineral composition of CBB tends to convert into calcium ferrite, which leads to the increased compressive strength of CBB. The reasonable basicity and sintering time during sinter preparation not only form the desired mineral composition but also improve the properties of the CBB.</p>