Abstract: For the heat transfer process of circumferentially heated tobacco products, a heat transfer model consisting of heating element and heated tobacco product was established. The temperature field of the heated tobacco product was calculated via numerical simulation, and its time-dependent evolution law was investigated. Furthermore, the heat transfer process across the heating element, air gap, cigarette paper and tobacco filler was analyzed, and the heat absorption of each component in the heating system was quantified. The results show that the numerical simulation data are basically consistent with experimental measurements, with the average maximum deviation merely 2.8%. Only 11.9% of the total heat transfers from the heating element to the outer surface of cigarette paper, and merely 8.1% is absorbed by the tobacco filler section. The numerical model proposed in this paper can accurately predict the temperature distribution of circumferentially heated tobacco products, and clarify the heat transfer mechanism and energy utilization efficiency of such heated tobacco products.