Abstract: The mining design at first phase of Masteel Luohe iron mine has been transited from caving method to backfill method.The necessity of the transition to backfill method is analyzed and both mining methods are contrasted from five aspects of technical and economic index，such as the cost of ore production，the impact to the environment etc.，concluding that the change from caving method to backfill method get remarkable social and economic benefits and is worth promoting.

Key words: Luohe iron mine, backfill method, Caving method, Social and economic benefits