The relationships between the criterion of crack initiation site for high-strength steel and the weld strength matching were reviewed. The results show that the criterion of cold crack initiation site is an indirect method to judge the cold crack sensitivity in root pass welding for high strength steels by weld hardness. Among the influencing factors of criterion of the cold crack initiation site for high-strength steels,the applied stress is a necessary condition for cold crack initiation or alternate initiation,while the changes of hydrogen concentration and weld hardness are sufficient condition for cold crack initiation or alternate initiation. The type of weld strength matching has a good correspondence with the "criterion of cold crack initiation site ",which can well explain the rules and phenomena in the "criterion of cold crack initiation site " test.The implementation process of weld strength matching based on the criterion of cold crack initiation site is put forward.