This paper reviews the research progress in lignin-based polyurethane coatings in recent years,and introduces the structure of lignin and lignin-based polyurethane coatings.In the light of the problems existed in the preparation process of lignin-based polyurethane coatings,some prospects are given from the separation and modification of lignin as well as the way to polymerize lignin with isocyanate well,aiming to provide useful references for the efficient utilization of lignin in the field of polyurethane coatings.