Abstract: The flame-retardant effect of the self-made piperazine intumescent flame retardant (IFR) on ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) was investigated by limited oxygen index (LOI) measurement, vertical burning experiment, smoke density, cone calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the flame-retardant EVA material achieved the LOI of 37 vol% with the addition of 30 wt% IFR and reached a V-0 classification in the UL 94 vertical burning experiment. The smoke density of flame-retarded EVA material was very low under the combustion conditions with flame and without flame, and their peak heat release rate decreased to 156 kW/m2, which was only equal to 21.8 % of the value for pure EVA. A dense expanded carbon layer was formed after combustion. The flame-retarded EVA material exhibits a low moisture absorption rate and good mechanical properties and therefore can meet the requirements of the RoHS environmental protection.