In this paper, a simplified approach based on critical temperature for fire resistance design of steel-concrete composite beams is proposed. The method for determining the critical temperature and fire protection of the composite beams is developed on the basis of load-bearing limit state method employed in current Chinese Technical Code for Fire safety of Steel Structure in Buildings. Parameters affecting the critical temperature of the composite beams are analysed. The results show that at a definite load level, section shape of steel beams, material properties, effective width of concrete slab and concrete property model have little influence on the critical temperature of composite beams. However, the fire duration and depth of concrete slab have significant influence on the critical temperature. The critical temperatures for commonly used composite beams, at various depth of concrete and fire duration, are given to provide a reference for engineers. The validity of the practical approach for predicting the critical temperature of the composite beams is conducted by comparing the prediction of a composite beam with the results from some fire design codes and full scale fire resistance tests on the composite beam.