PURPOSE: To obtain an electrical contact material made of an Ag-metallic oxide composite excellent in strength, at the time of manufacturing an Ag-metallic oxide composite sintered material, by heating a mixture of Al powder and specified oxide powder under a high oxygen partial pressure and sintering the mixture in the state where a liquid phase and a solid phase coexist.

CONSTITUTION: Ag is used as a base material and is mixed with at least one kind among the oxides of Sn, Cd, Zn, In or the like by 1 to 30wt.% expressed in terms of metal, at least one kind among the oxides of Mg, Zr, Ca, Al, Ce, Cr, Mn and Ti by 0.01 to 8wt.% expressed in terms of metal and at least one kind among the oxides of Sb, Bi or iron-group metals such as Fe, Ni and Co by 0.01 to 8wt.% expressed in terms of metal, each in the state of fine powder of ≤0.1μm. The mixture is heated under a high oxygen partial pressure and is oxidized in the case unoxidized material are present in the metals excluding Ag, and sintering is executed in the state where a liquid phase and a solid phase coexist. The Ag-metallic oxide composite for an electrical contact material in which the above granules of metallic oxides having good wettability are uniformly and dispersedly incorporated into Ag and excellent in strength can be manufactured.