Abstract This paper established a three-dimensional finite element model of plastic penetration according to the definition of ring rolling, based on ABAQUS finite element (FE) software package. Method of rigid-plastic dynamic explicit FE is used during the processes of ring rolling FE simulations with different reductions. By analyzing the distribution of plastic zone in different places in both radial and axial directions with different reductions in processes of ring rolling, general rules of plastic penetration in different places in either radial or axial direction and the direct influence of different reduction to the distribution of plastic zone and the plastic penetration, are obtained.