Single-crystalline 𝛼-Fe₂O₃ 1-D nanostructures can be obtained via a facile one-step hydrothermal synthetic route. It was found that the introduction of SnCl₄ played a key role in determining the composition and morphology of 𝛼-Fe₂O₃. The addition of SnCl₄ favours the formation of Fe₂O₃ rather than FeOOH, and the morphology can be tuned from nanorod to double-shuttle as the increase of SnCl₄ concentration. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selectedarea electron diffraction (SAED). This simple method does not need any seed, catalyst, or template, thus is promising for large-scale and low-cost production.