The Huaihe River is the dividing line between China's north and south. Huaibei in Anhui province means "north of the Huaihe river", although the city actually lies more than 100 kilometers from the waterway.

The city was founded in 1960 to produce coal to fuel the country's development. Originally called Suixi, which is now the name of a county in Huaibei, it was renamed Huaibei in 1971.