The invention discloses a method for the calculating ice coating thickness of a transmission line by utilizing video image processing technique, belonging to the technical field of digital video image processing or online monitoring of the transmission line. The method takes digital image intercepted from a video flowing of the transmission line which is transmitted into a surveillance center as the object of study and processes the image by methods of gradation of image, two-dimension image segmentation, filtration, regional mark and the like in advance. In the process of pretreatment, the image is segmented by adopting a new two-dimension varimax based on simulated annealing genetic algorithm, and the image of the transmission line is marked by adopting eight connected region marking method. Finally, by the contrast and calculation of the pixels of the images which are obtained before and after the ice coating of all the transmission leads, an average value is obtained, and the ice coating thickness is further calculated. When the ice coating thickness of any of the transmission leads exceeds the prescriptive safety range, alarm is given, so that deicing measure is adopted in time, thus providing security for the safe running of an electric power system.