Abstract: To investigate the spontaneous combustion characteristics of high-sulfur coal and the effect law of sulfur content on spontaneous combustion, in this study, five coal samples with different sulfur contents were selected from Sangshuping Coal Mine. The characteristics and limiting parameters of coal self-ignition were tested using an oil bath programmed temperature experiment device. The results illustrated that the oxygen consumption rate and CO productions increased first and then decreased with the increase of sulfur content, and reached the maximum at the sulfur content of 5.06%. The minimum floating coal thickness and limiting oxygen concentration described a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with the coal temperature, but the maximum air leakage intensity displayed an opposite trend. Under the same conditions, the minimum floating coal thickness and limiting oxygen concentration described a trend of reducing first and then enhancing with the sulfur content, reaching the minimum at the coal sample with a sulfur content of 5.06%; the maximum air leakage intensity rose first and then declined as the sulfur content increased, and reached the maximum at the coal sample with a sulfur content of 5.06%. In summary, the self-ignition risk was the maximum at the coal with the sulfur content of 5.06% based the above experimental results.