The main objectives of the study are the analysis and generalization of the parameters that determine the intensity of the sintering, the development of a model of motion of the combustion zone of the sinter charge. As a result of the analysis of the known indicators of the intensity of the sintering process, it was shown that the most representative characteristic of the intensity of the process is the vertical sintering speed, which is an integral part of the complex intensity indicator − the specific productivity of the sintering machine. Many various models of the sintering process have been developed. The author develops a new mathematical model of the motion of the solid fuel combustion zone during sintering of the sinter charge (vertical sintering speed). The model is presented in the form of an expanding network of separate interrelated dependencies (equations), selected as independent submodels. The results of the study using the developed model of the dependence of the vertical sintering speed on the solid fuel content and on the flux content in the charge, are presented. It is concluded that the presented model can be considered as an element of a universal model software complex of the sintering process.