Directional response is one of the most important parameters of pyranometer,which is crucial to evaluate the performance of the pyranometer by determining the responsivityand the corresponding radiation for solar beam radiation from different directions of the pyranometer. In the paper,the method for testing directional error is present,four pyranometers are tested,after data processing,the directional errors of a secondary standard CM P22 and a first class CM P11 are 4.5 W/m~2 and 8.3 W/m~2 respectively,which are within the nominal specification given by the manufacturer. M eanwhile,the directional error of a first class pyranometerF S-S6 is 11.0 W/m~2,while the value of a second class pyranometer TBQ-2-B is15.2 W/m~2,which both meet the specification for classification. The results showthat these four pyranometers can reach the levels recommended by WM O and ISO,which validates that the method is feasible and the China made pyranometers are reliable.