To reveal the influence of pore structure of coal on the characteristics of coal dust generation during roadheader cutting, a self-developed coal cutting system was used to generate dust. A low field nuclear magnetic resonance was utilized to measure the pore system of coal. Results show that the porosity had negative correlations with the cumulative proportions of both respirable dust and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), but the positive influence on the mass ratio of dust generation (MRD) of total dust and slight effect on MRD of respirable dust and PM2.5 were observed. The correlations of the fractal dimension (Df) of pore structure on dust generation were inverse compared with that of porosity. The negative relationship between porosity and Df was the reason for the opposite correlations. This study can provide basic support for the estimate of dust hazard and the development of dust control technologies. (c) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.