Zr alloy has been gradually developed and applied in nuclear industry, aerospace, biomedicine and other fields,just for its excellent characteristics, such as high hardness, high melting point, low thermal expansion coefficient, corrosion resistance and low thermal neutron absorption cross section. In this paper, the Zr alloys research status of composition design methods, including empirical/semi-empirical method, first-principles calculation method, d-electron orbital method and CALPHAD method, are introduced. Especially, the research methods and current situation of Zr alloy involved in first-principles calculation are mainly introduced. With the aid of the alloy design model and computer operation, the relationship between the mechanical behavior and microstructure of materials can be effectively and systematically understood, providing a theoretical basis for alloy composition design.Combined with the research progress and achievements of Zr alloy design methods at home and abroad, the research and development trend of Zr alloy design is briefly discussed.