Energetic materials serve as the energy source for munition damage, directly impacting the strike range and effectiveness of munitions. With the increasing strategic requirements of modern weapon systems for high energy, high efficiency and high security, research on the thermal properties of energetic materials has gained more attention. The thermal properties of energetic materials not only directly affect the energy output, control and regulation of energetic materials, but also are related to the safe transportation, storage and use. In order to provide a reference for the research methods of thermal properties of energetic materials, this paper systematically reviews the thermal performance characterization techniques and theoretical prediction models applied to energetic materials in recent years, involving the analysis of thermal decomposition reaction mechanism, combustion performance test, detonation performance evaluation and safety performance prediction, and analyzes and compares the characteristics and application scope of each characterization technology. Finally, it proposes that the experimental characterization technology in future research should be developed in the direction of high integration, high spatiotemporal resolution, small dose non-contact interference, and real-time monitoring and analysis. In the computational simulation research, it is necessary to co-construction and share the standard database according to the actual production of energetic materials, in order to obtain a high-precision and high-efficiency performance prediction model.