Abstract: The stability of roadway compound roof is closely related to the location, thickness and composition of soft-hard rocks in roadway compound roof. The paper used the methods of field measurement, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation to analyze strata structure type of roadway compound roof in Zhaogu No.1 Mine, and study failure characteristics and rupture regularity of different strata combination of roadway roof. The study results show that roadway compound roof can be classified into four general structure types: the single-soft rock, lower-hard upper-soft, lower-soft upper-hard and soft-hard alternation according to the location and composition of strata. It is further classified into six sub-structure types: the single thick-soft, thick-soft thick-hard, thin-soft thick-hard, thin-hard thick-soft, thick-hard thin-soft and thin-soft-hard alternation according to the strata thickness. For the single-soft and thick-soft thick-hard roof, the shape after roof fall is conical, which is next to its upper part soft rock and forms the shape of beam. It is essentially "articulated arch" balanced structure, which eventually tends to be stable. For the thin-soft thick-hard and thin-soft-hard alternation roof, the shape after roof fall is flat. The upper hard rock tends to be stable because of its strong bearing capacity. For the thin-hard thick-soft and thick-hard thin-soft roof, there is no caving phenomenon. If the hard rock continues to become thinner, the roadway span increases or the buried depth increases, it is attention to monitoring and timely reinforcement. Based on the rock structure types of roadway roof which has been excavated and unexcavated in Zhaogu No.1 Mine, the existing supporting forms and supporting parameters can be evaluated and modified, and can ensure the stability of roadway roof during excavation