Abstract: The pore distribution characteristics of coal not only directly affect the gas storage and migration ability in coal seam, but also directly affect the development process of physical adsorption and chemical reaction between coal and oxygen. Therefore, in-depth study of the pore distribution characteristics of coal is conducive to the reasonable classification and evaluation of coal reservoirs, and then study and analyze the laws of gas storage and migration in coal seams and the low-temperature oxidation reaction mechanism of coal, improve the accuracy of gas content prediction and gas extraction efficiency, and describe the process of coal spontaneous combustion in detail. We have systematically summarized the current research theories and methods of pore distribution characteristics of coal through a large number of relevant literature investigations, and compared and analyzed various research theories and methods, pointed out their respective advantages and disadvantages. Finally, it is proposed that the next step can be carried out from three directions: accurate measurement of micro-pores and reasonable characterization at full scale, research on microscopic effects of coal pores, and establishment of accurate coal medium models.