• Non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis reveals two-stage hydrogen reduction kinetics of WO3 with activation energies of 121 and 135 kJ/mol for the first and second stages, respectively.
• Under local gas–solid reduction conditions, the particle morphology of tungsten powders mirrors that of the raw WO3, with porous structures forming between reduced particles.
• The porous morphology of reduced tungsten powders contrasts with the polyhedral single-crystal configuration obtained via chemical vapor deposition.
• The two-stage hydrogen reduction mechanisms of WO3 can be accurately described using a composite autocatalytic function.