The invention provides a digestion method and a detection method of iron ore. The digestion method comprises the following steps of: performing closed-vessel microwave-assisted digestion on iron ore samples mixed with hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid to form suspension; and heating the suspension in an opened system to perform digestion for the second time by using the residual sulfuric acid so as to obtain completely digested solution. The detection method comprises the step of detecting solution to be tested, which is prepared from the digested solution by a detection method such as inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy so as to obtain the content of each element of the iron ore. The digestion method and the detection method have the characteristics of high efficiency, simpleness, quickness and accuracy; and particularly, the key elements, such as As, Pb, Zn, W, Sn, Ca, Mg, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, Mo and the like, of the iron ore can be detected accurately, wherein the key elements can influence the quality of products prepared by the processes such as iron and steel smelting, vanadium extraction, titanium extraction and the like.