Objective To seek environment-friendly insulating paint for replacing chromate coating. Methods A new chromatefree insulating coating on non-oriented silicon steel was prepared using self-made water-based paint composed of inorganic salt and water-soluble resin. The curing process of the insulating paint was studied, and the performance (adhesion, high temperature annealing, corrosion resistance and surface insulating resistance) of the insulating coating was analyzed in comparison with domestic coatings. Results The self-made paint had low offensive odor, good stability and long life; the insulating coating was light silver gray when the curing parameters were 20 ~24 s and 480 ~520 ℃; the adhesion force of the insulating coating was A; the corrosion area was less than 5% after 12 h salt spray; there was no coating desquamate after high-temperature annealing at 750 ℃ for 2 h; and the surface resistance was 297 Ω/ mm2(1. 0 ~ 1. 2 μm). Conclusion The self-made water-based paint was a one-component chromate-free paint, the performance of the insulating coating met the technical requirement of steel products, as good as that of domestic paints.