Abstract: To study the influence of cigarette design parameters on cigarette combustion cone length, the main combustion cone indexes were measured using an imaging method. The effects of cigarette design-related parameters on combustion cone length, such as cut tobacco weight per cigarette, cigarette paper permeability, filter ventilation rate and filter rod draw resistance were analyzed using single-factor and orthogonal tests. The results showed that the combustion cone length increased rapidly in the early stages of smoking, and then decreased gradually after reaching its maximum. Cut tobacco weight per cigarette, cigarette paper permeability, filter ventilation rate and filter rod draw resistance affected the maximum length and volume of the combustion cone. The orthogonal test revealed that the cut tobacco weight per cigarette and filter ventilation rate were the primary factors influencing the maximum combustion cone length. Using brand A(84.0 mm × 24.2 mm)cigarettes as an example, the maximum combustion cone length was the shortest when the cut tobacco weight per cigarette was 0.64 g, the cigarette paper permeability was 50 CU, the filter ventilation rate was 20%, and the filter rod draw resistance was 3 150 Pa/120 mm. This experimental study elucidated the influence of cigarette design-related factors on combustion cone length to a certain extent, offering a correlation reference for optimizing cigarette design.