The characteristics of pellet feed and the type and dosage of binder used play an important role in the formation dynamics of green iron ore pellets and hence determine their quality. This study investigates the effects of binder and sample pretreatment on the quality of green pellets produced from a magnetite concentrate. The as-received pellet feed was initially tested using Binders 1 (bentonite) and 2. Increasing bentonite addition led to a noticeable improvement in drop strength number, whereas compressive strength only started to improve from 1.4 per cent bentonite. The Binder 2 dosage at 0.075 to 0.20 wt per cent improved both the drop strength number and compressive strength, demonstrating enhanced cohesiveness and structural integrity of the green pellets. A combined binder approach, incorporating 0.075 wt per cent Binder 2 with 1.0 to 1.4 wt per cent bentonite produced green pellets with higher drop strength number and compressive strength than those obtained with either binder alone. Overall, the as received concentrate requires a high binder dosage to achieve the green pellet quality.