Abstract: The application of X-ray diffraction(XRD) technique to distinguish and identify paper in forensic science was studied. First parallel tests were done to determine the parameters which can be used to distinguish and identify the paper, and then 68 types of bank paper were characterized by XRD and classified according to the determined parameters. The results show that parameters such as XRD pattern, crystal plane spacing and peak intensity can be used to identify the paper, and according to these parameters the 68 types of bank paper could be classified into 9 classes. So fast nondestructive identification of paper was realized.