A method of producing a valve lifter to be used in a valve operating mechanism of an automotive vehicle. The valve lifter includes a skirt section, a crown section formed one end of the skirt section so that a cam of a camshaft is slidably contactable with the crown section, and a contacting section formed at an inside surface of the crown section and contactable with a valve stem of an engine valve. The production method comprises the following steps in the sequence set forth: (a) cold-forging a base material to form a valve lifter-shaped base material; (b) cold-pressing the base material to shape the valve lifter-shaped base material; (c) grinding an outer surface of the valve lifter-shaped base material to trim an outer shape of the valve-lifter-shaped base material; (d) totally machining the outer surface and an inner surface of the valve-shaped base material to adjust dimensions of parts of the valve lifter-shaped base material; (e) heat-treating only a part of the valve lifter-shaped base material, corresponding to the contacting section, to increase a hardness of the contacting section; and (f) grinding the contacting section to finish the contacting section.