Samples of Palaeozoic oolitic ironstone beds susceptible of having being used as raw materials for Neolithic red ochres, have been petrographically investigated. The preliminary results of this first comparative analysis are quite encouraging: microfacies differences have been observed between Ordovician oolitic ironstones from Normandy (France), late Upper Devonian oolitic ironstones from Belgium and uppermost Lower Devonian to lowermost Middle-Devonian (Emsian-Eifelian) oolitic ironstones from the Eifel area (Germany). Petrographical differentiation is based upon contrasting grain size, mineralogy (hematite/chlorite ratio) and typology of the ferruginous ooids, besides differences in mineralogy, diagenetic history and lithologic nature of the host sediments. Most conspicuous are differences in ferruginous ooid typology, including “true” concentric ooids, superficial ooids, algal oncoids and pseudo-ooids (ferruginized cortoids and rounded bioclasts). “Flax seed” or Clinton-type iron ores (rich in flattened ooids) and “fossil iron ores” (essentially composed of ferruginized bioclasts) can be identified as well as transitional or mixed types. Homogenous and well-sorted, often flattened and fine-grained ferruginous “true” ooids (flax seed ore) with alternating hematite and chlorite cortices in a sideritic- chloritic or fine siliciclastic matrix, are characteristic for the Ordovician (Llanvirn) oolitic ironstones of Normandy (basal part of the Urville Shales). Locally, weathered levels exist, enclosing limonitic (goethitic) crusts. Medium-sorted, fine-to coarse- grained ferruginous hematitic pseudo-ooids (ferruginized bioclasts) in a bioclastic limestone matrix (fossil ore) characterize the Lower-Middle Devonian boundary oolitic ironstone beds (Heisdorf and Lauch Formations, Eifel Synclines). Finally, well- to medium-sorted heterogenous, fine- to medium-grained, pure or mixed flax seed- and fossil ore-type hematitic oolitic ironstones in siliclastic and/ore carbonate matrices, characterize the Belgian Latest Upper ...