Abstract: The determination of the forming stages of hydrocarbon reservoir is an important research subject of petroleum geology and exploration.There are various methods to determine the stages.This article made a brief introduction to some of the methods,such as reservoir petrology method,fluid inclusion method,retrospective of hydrocarbon-water contact method,oil pool magnetic mineral and palaeo-magnetism method,iodine isotope of oilfield brine method and reservoir mineral bituminous method.Each method has advantages and disadvantages.In consideration of the effectiveness and limitation of each method,it is proposed to combine several methods together for precise hydrocarbon forming stages determination.