Method for producing hydrometallurgical zinc oxide powder having characteristics equivalent to that derived from a French process, comprising formation of an aqueous pulp from a starting zinc oxide having particles of nodular structure, wet milling of this aqueous pulp, separation in this milled pulp between a liquid phase and a solid phase containing the zinc oxide, and drying of said solid phase, coupled with a mechanical deagglomeration of the particles during drying, to obtain a dry zinc oxide powder with particles of nodular structure having a particle size distribution where the particles have an average size (d50) between 0.02 and 20 .mu.m.