Abstract: Multi-potential surface theory is essentially a mathematic approach to the study of the constitutive relation for soils. The model based on the multi-potential surface theory may have wider adaptability than those based on conventional plastic-potential theory, and needs no plastic potential functions or yield functions. The multi-potential surface model in strain space is more practical, since its parameters are easy to be determined, and the program based on the model is easy to be developed. In this paper, the multi-potential surface model and Duncan-Chang抯 E-μ model are compared in plain strain cases, in which the same parameters are assumed for the two models. The present work may be helpful for further studying of the multi-potential surface model.