The melting of refractory in slag and the penetration of slag into refractory are the main reasons for the damage of refractory. These two aspects are related to the wettability between slag and refractory at a high temperature, and the wettability can be evaluated by the surface tension, adhesion work and spreading coefficient of slag on the refractory surface. The wettability of slag and refractory can be inhibited by changing the composition and roughness of the refractory, thus resulting in the improved service life of the refractory. This review represented the factors affecting the high-temperature wettability between refractories and slag based on the aspects of slag composition, refractory composition and surface microstructure effect. In addition, the future research direction in this field was also prospected.