In order to reveal the rules of pyrolysis and smoke release of tobacco particles under low temperature heating conditions, the effects of glycerol content, moisture content, and size of tobacco particles on their thermal conductivity, pyrolysis and smoke emission were investigated using a thermal conductivity tester, a thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and a cone calorimeter (CONE). The results indicated the following: 1) The thermal conductivity of samples presented a rising trend with the increased content of glycerol and moisture and the decrease of particle size. The specific heat capacity showed a growth trend with the increase of moisture content and reduction of particle size, while it increased first then decreased with the rising of glycerol content, 2) The addition of glycerol dramatically increased the percentage of mass loss of tobacco particles at low temperatures ranging from 140 °C to 300 °C, which became the major mass loss stage. The influence of moisture content on the mass loss rate of tobacco particles weakened gradually with the rise in temperature. The moisture content mainly affected the emission of small molecules, such as dissociative water and glycerol, at low temperature. The main mass loss process of samples slightly shifted to low temperature ranges with the decrease of tobacco particle sizes, 3) The increase of glycerol content (within 30 %) was beneficial to shortening the initial release time of tobacco smoke, accelerating the smoke production rate, and raising the total smoke rate. The decrease of moisture content or particle size also had similar effects.