A new UV-curable coating was carried out to impart the flame-retardant property to cotton fabric using Bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ehtyl]phosphate(DMEP) and 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-l-one(HMPP) as a UV-curable monomer and a photoinitiator, respectively. The cotton fabrics were applied with various amounts of DMEP and HMPP via padding and UV irradiation, and the optimal concentrations of DMEP and HMPP in the formulation were 40%(w/w) and 7%omp respectively. A limiteed oxygen index(LOI) up to 28.9 was obtained for the UV-cured fabric, which may occur through a condensed phase mechanism as verified by the increased residue number with increased application level. The characterization of the UV-cured coating was made by IR analysis, thermo-gravimetric analysis, LOI test, and scanning electron microscopy.