Abstract: In order to improve the recovery ratio of fully-mechanized top coal caving in shallow buried and extreme thick coal seam of Yuanbao Coal Mine, by using theoretical analysis and simulation test, it studied the effect of top coal thickness and coal drawing interval on top coal caving and drawing characteristics based on the mining conditions of 1901 fully-mechanized caving face. The results showed that with the increase of the top coal thickness, the top coal drawing ratio first increased and then decreased, while the percentage of muck and muck drawing ratio reduced all along. With the coal drawing interval increasing, the top coal drawing ratio, percentage of muck, and muck drawing ratio reduced all the time.Thus it determined that the critical coal drawing thickness was 10m, the best coal drawing method was "one mining one drawing" in 1901 fully mechanized face with 3.5 m mining height.