With the implementation of ultra-low emission systems in coal-fired power plants in China, the emission of sulfur trioxide (SO 3 ) has become an important issue in pollution control. However, systematic research and evaluation of SO 3 control routes based on the existing ultra-low emission systems are still lacking. We assigned 148 coal-fired power plants to four categories based on their ultra-low emission control routes and selected a representative power plant from each category for comprehensive field testing. The results indicated great variability in the synergistic SO 3 removal capability of different air pollution control devices and routes, resulting in removal efficiencies that ranged from 27% to 94%. Control Route 1, which lacked both a low-low temperature electrostatic precipitator (LLTESP) and a wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP), exhibited the lowest removal efficiency. The two routes equipped with either an LLTESP or a WESP (Control Routes 2 and 3) reduced the SO 3 concentration in the flue gas produced by medium-sulfur-coal combustion to below 10 mg m -3 , whereas Control Route 4, which utilized both an LLTESP and a WESP, reduced the SO 3 concentration to below 5 mg m -3 . Furthermore, sampling the emissions of the 148 power plants revealed that only 14% of the power plants complied with the 5 mg m -3 standard for SO 3 , although 44% and 64% of them complied with the 10 mg m -3 and the 20 mg m -3 standard, respectively. Our study evaluated the control routes within the context of the whole process, which can guide subsequent research and engineering practices.