Abstract: The research results of infrared thermography technology in the field of quantitative thermal properties detection of building envelope are reviewed. The theoretical basis, development history and application of quantitative infrared thermography in quantifying energy loss of thermal defects at home and abroad are introduced. The influencing factors of on-site detection are summarized from three aspects: construction of steady-state heat flow environment, calculation of convection and radiation heat transfer, and selection of test operation. The contribution of image processing technology to infrared detection field is summarized in the exclusion of optical interference, identification of thermal defects, thermal information visualization and so on. The application prospect and development direction of infrared thermography technology in the future are analyzed. The research shows that infrared thermography technology can be an excellent method to quantitatively detect thermal properties and identify thermal defects of envelope structures.