Objective To develop a new nontoxic and efficient water-based rust inhibitor. Methods Phytic acid and polyaspartic acid were used as the main components of rust inhibitor, in which sodium molybdate and sodium benzoate were added as promoter, and the polymer film forming agents polyethylene glycol and polyvinyl alcohol were screened. The optimal formulation was determined via single factor experiment and orthogonal test, and the corrosion resistance was contrasted with nitrite rust inhibitor. Results The longer copper sulfate spot time showed the better synergistic effect between phytic acid and polyaspartic acid. The promoters and polymer film forming agents effectively enhanced the corrosion resistance of antirust film. The optimal formulation of rust inhibitor was 60 ml / L of phytic acid, 25 ml / L of poly aspartic acid, 6 g / L of sodium molybdate, 22 g / L of sodium benzoate, 4 g /L of polyethylene glycol, 5 g / L of polyvinyl alcohol; the average copper sulfate spot time was 75 s, the salt solution immersion resistant time was 23 h, and the neutral salt spray test time was 28 h. Under the above conditions, excellent antirust performance was achieved. Conclusion The new nontoxic and water-based rust inhibitor was worth promoting despite the little gap between the two types of rust inhibitor in rust resistance.