An application of optical coherence tomography to jade measurement was described.An optical coherence tomography(OCT) system applied in jade imaging and measurement was implemented with scanning speed of 1 frame/s,depth resolution of 15 μm and penetration depth of 3mm.The experimental results and theoretical analysis of jade imaging and measurement based on OCT method were demonstrated.By analyzing the optical backscattering data based on the variation with depth and the distribution in tomography plane,the transparency of jade could be characterized qualitatively;meanwhile,OCT imaging could be used to observe and provide some discrimination information of the impregnation and calcification of ancient jade materials.The experimental results give an available microstructure information,confirm the feasibility of OCT method in evaluating transmission features of jades,and show a potential of OCT in analyzing subsurface morphologies of archaic jades.