In order to improve the properties of alumina-carbon refractories, specimens were prepared using white fused corundum, zirconia-mullite and flake graphite as the raw materials, phenolic resin as the binder, adding different mass fractions (1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5%, respectively) of glass dust, cold isostatic pressing by 120 MPa, drying and firing at 900 ℃ for 3 h. Effects of the glass dust addition on the apparent porosity, bulk density, cold modulus of rupture, hot modulus of rupture and thermal shock resistance were studied. The results show that the cold modulus of rupture of the specimens is improved significantly as the results of glass dust accelerating sintering. However, the hot modulus of rupture decreases. As the glass phase buffers the strain produced by thermal shock, the thermal shock resistance of alumina-carbon specimens is improved, especially for low carbon alumina-carbon materials.