The taxonomic position of a Gram-positive, endo-spore forming bacterium isolated from a haematite ore sample was analyzed by a polyphasic approach. The strain designated as HIO-4(T) matched most of the phenotypic and chemical characteristics of the genus Cohnella and represents a novel species. The sequence of the almost complete 16S rRNA (1489 bases) was compared with those of previously studied Cohnella type strains and confirmed that the strain belongs to the genus Cohnella. Strain HIO-4(T) differs from all other species of Cohnella by at least 3.9% at the 16S rRNA level and the moderately related species are Cohnella phaseoli (96.1%) and Cohnella yongneupensis (96.1%), respectively. Predominant polar lipids are diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE); few unknown phospholipids, mannose containing lipid, aminophospholipid and aminophosphoglycolipids. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the genotypic and phenotypic distinctiveness of strain HIO-4(T) with its phylogenetic relatives and suggest that the strain HIO-4(T) should be recognized as a novel species, for which the name Cohnella ferri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HIO-4(T) (=MTCC 8365(T) = JCM 16139(T)).