Three commercial carbon black samples as well as self-made C3H6 soot were investigated for their reactivity in the oxidation on an -Fe2O3 catalyst. These studies were performed by temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) using a packed bed. For reference purposes, TPO studies in the absence of the catalyst were made as well. The carbon black samples were characterized towards the content of C, H, N and O as well as higher heating value, specific surface area, moisture and volatile matter and were deemed to be suitable model substances for diesel soot of different maturity. The correlation of these physico-chemical properties with the kinetics in catalytic TPO indicated that the soot oxidation on Fe2O3 is significantly affected by the initial number of surface oxygen compounds of the soot. The decomposition of these surface species causes the formation of active carbon sites, which are supposed to accelerate the soot oxidation.