Objective To investigate the differences in characteristics and susceptibility factors between infectious stones and calcium oxalate stones, and provide reference value for screening infectious stones in clinical work. Methods According to the results of analysis of stone components in the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy center of West China Hospital of Sichuan University between June 2014 and April 2017, 392 patients with infectious stones (including 56 patients with magnesium ammonium phosphate stones in group A and 336 patients with calcium carbonate apatite in group B) and 392 patients with calcium oxalate stone (group C) were selected to discuss the difference of clinical features by retrospectively analyzing the clinical data. Results The proportion of females, the long diameter of stones and the proportion of staghorn stones in group A [75.0%, (3.9±2.5) cm, 41.1%] were higher than those in group B [39.3%, (2.4±1.3) cm, 6.0%], and the proportion of females and the long diameter of stones in group A and B were larger than those in group C [30.1%, (1.9±0.7) cm]; the differences above were statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference among the three groups in surgically history or complicated factors of urinary tract such as ureteral stricture (P>0.05). The prevalences of diabetes, renal tubular acidosis and hyperlipidemia in patients with infectious stones were higher than those in group C. The prevalences of renal tubular acidosis and hyperlipidemia in group A (16.1%, 39.3%) were higher than those in group B (0.6%, 21.1%), the positive rate of urine culture in group A (58.9%) was higher than that in group B (20.5%), which were both higher than that in group C (8.9%); these differences were statistically significant (P<0.017). The bacteria cultured from urine were mainlyProteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli in group A, and Escherichia coli in group B and group C. Conclusion Patients with large volume of stones, complicated with diabetes, renal tubular acidosis, hyperlipidemia and positive urine culture are more likely to have infectious stones.