Abstract: The cutting load in the cutting process of boom-type roadheader cannot be measured directly, so the cutting state parameters of the machine body should be used to reflect the changes of cutting load indirectly. According to the cutting principle and cutting characteristics of roadheader, four cutting parameters, namely cutting motor current, driving cylinder pressure, cutting arm swing position and stress state of key parts, are selected, and the sensitive relationship between different cutting parameters and cutting load changes is investigated by mathematical modeling and finite element analysis. The research results show that the three parameters of cutting motor current, driving cylinder pressure and stress state of key parts are more sensitive to the change of cutting load. In the future, the integration of the above three cutting state parameters can accurately characterize the cutting load changes and lay the theoretical foundation for the research of autonomous control and fault diagnosis of boom-type roadheader.