High-iron sphalerite was subjected to two-stage pressure leaching. The leaching rate of zinc and iron was 97.09 % and 15.2 % respectively. The yield of elemental sulphur was 93 % . The residual acid in the leachate was 3.95 g/L. By easy neutralization and purification, zinc sulphate solution was obtained, which would be sent to the zinc electrowinning operation. For the purpose of comparison, one-stage pressure leaching on average sphalerite was conducted. Leaching rate of zinc and iron was 98.09 % and 37.88 % respectively, and the yield of elemental sulphur was 96 % . The leachate with higher acid content (46.4 g/L) could be integrated into the existing traditional hydrometallurgical process of zinc