The measurement and error analysis of shearer cutting height are a significant research task for the longwall mining automation. In this paper, aiming at the body attitude sensor and rocker-arm swing-angle sensor measurement scheme as well as the body attitude sensor and displacement sensor of height-adjustment hydro-cylinder measurement scheme, two measurement models of shearer cutting height are constructed, respectively. Adopting the function error formula, the measurement error models are obtained. Taking the type MG1000 / 2660-WD shearer as an example, the changing laws of the shearer cutting height versus pitch angle, rockerarm swing-angle and displacement of height-adjustment hydro-cylinder are analyzed, and the positions where the shearer cutting heights have the maximum values in these two measurement schemes are obtained. According to the analysis result, the accuracies of the rocker-arm swing-angle sensor and displacement sensor of height-adjustment hydro-cylinder have a litter influence on the measurement error, and the accuracy of the body attitude sensor would determine the measurement error of the cutting height. Finally, taking the case where the measurement error of shearer cutting height is less than 5 cm as an example, the accuracy requirements of the sensors in these two measurement schemes are obtained as follows: The accuracy of rocker-arm swing-angle sensor is 0. 022° and the maximum dynamic error of the pitch angle of the body attitude sensor is less than 0. 16° ( within 1 hour) , the accuracy of the displacement sensor of height-adjustment hydro-cylinder is 1 mm and the maximum dynamic error of pitch angle of the body attitude sensor is less than 0. 14° (within 1 hour) .