Objective To improve the toughness of epoxy zinc-rich coatings. Methods Polyurethane toughening agent with terminal epoxy group was synthesized and added into the coating. The influence of the toughening agent with different types and contents on the properties of zinc-rich coating was investigated. The influence of the Zn content on the coating was also studied. Results The results showed that the toughening agent improved the adhesion force, flexibility and shock resistance of the zinc-rich coating, however, the properties of water resistance and salt spray test were slightly decreased. Conclusion When the content of polyurethane was set at 15% , the coating exhibited the best properties. The coatings with contents of zinc and polyurethane of 78% ~ 85% and 15% exhibited excellent mechanical properties.