The ilmenite lain in ultrafine ilmenite ore cannot be treated easily. In this study, a superconducting magnetic separator (SMS) was proposed to preconcentrate the ultrafine ilmenite. During this process, the essential condition for capturing the ilmenite from the ultrafine ore, key technology for obtaining an efficient preconcentration, and analysis of the ilmenite concentrates were investigated with theoretical descriptions, statistically designed experiments, and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) detection, respectively. The descriptions and experiments indicated that the grade and recovery of ilmenite concentrate can be increased by the high-velocity slurry and high-intensity magnetic field, respectively; the synergy of the slurry velocity and magnetic intensity was demonstrated to be the key technology to improve the preconcentration efficiency. The SEM analysis demonstrated that the minimal agglomeration between ultrafine minerals in SMS further benefited the efficient preconcentration. Hence, the SMS provides an efficient way to preconcentrate ultrafine ilmenite ore. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.