Abstract: The continuous cooling test of 82B high carbon steel wire rod was carried out by GLEEBLE3800 thermal simulation test machine. The microstructure of samples with different cooling rates was analyzed by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope, and the continuous cooling transformation curve was drawn. The results show that the critical cooling rate for martensite formation was 5 ℃/s, and the microstructure was pearlite and sorbite when the cooling rate was 0. 5-5 ℃/s. Through performance comparison, it was found that the overall performance of 82B high carbon steel wire rod was the best when the cooling rate was 3 ℃/s.