The invention provides a type selection design method of a main controllable pitch propeller used for a ship, belonging to ship design and manufacture field. According to the existing parameters of a hull, a host machine and a gearbox, the diameter H of a hub is selected; furthermore, the blade diameter D, the blade area ratio EAR, the pitch ratio P/D, the efficiency Eta, and the blade number z of the controllable pitch propeller are determined according to the maps of fixed pitch propeller series; the mass and the movement inertia of the controllable pitch propeller blade are determined according to experimental formula; strength checking and bearing capability checking to the hub are carried out, and the application performance requirement of the controllable pitch propeller is well met. The invention obtains the type selection design proposal, with the advantages of good safety and reliability, small design fund investment, simplified program, short design period, good system performance, convenient data processing, convenient management with computers, exact and reliable data, smaller error compared with post-design, little changes on the parameters determined by the type selection design in the process of the post-technology design of the controllable pitch propeller, convenient adjustment, thus simplifying the post-design flow, shortening the period and improving the efficiency.