Coaly graphite is a nonmetallic mineral in coal measures formed by magmatic thermal contact metamorphism and tectonic metamorphism. Compared with crystalline graphite， coal graphite has the characteristics of high grade and easy development. It will become an important raw material in high-tech industries and new energy fields in the future. By summarizing and analyzing the mode of coal graphitization， the influencing factors and the influence of coal macerals on coal graphitization were identified. The main problems and development trends in coal graphitization research were analyzed. At present， research on the physical and chemical structures of coal and coal graphite has made remarkable progress， although there are still many problems that need to be addressed in coal graphitization. Many studies have focused on the external geological factors of coal graphitization， such as temperature， pressure， and medium conditions， in the control of coal graphitization. The role of coal macerals in coal graphitization has been relatively less studied. There are different condensation degrees of aromatic rings or different aromatic hydrogen and side-chain substituent contents among vitrinite， inertinite， and exinite， which affect the evolution of aromatic structures and the formation of nanostructures in coal， thus causing complexity in the coal graphitization effect and mechanism. Therefore， a full understanding of the influence of macerals on coal graphitization may be an important way to reveal the mechanism of coal graphitization.