Four experiments were conducted in laboratory for hydrostatic settling behavior of suspended matter in Lake Taihu in April and May, 2005. The settling velocity of suspended matter was calculated by both Stokes equation and McLaughlin method, and the results were further compared. The results showed that settlement of suspended matter in Lake Taihu was flocculation settlement. It also showed that the suspended matter concentration decayed exponentially with time, which was more obvious when the percentage of inorganic suspended matter accounting for total suspended matter was higher (R²≥0.99). When the suspended matter concentration was low, no clear relationship was found between settling velocity and suspended matter concentration. But settling velocity obviously rose with the increase of suspended matter concentration while the latter was high. Based on the data of four hydrostatic experiments, it was found that settling velocity (ω) of suspended matter and suspended matter concentration (C) fitted in Logistic Curve ω= 0.021/(1 + exp(-0.026(C-166. 3)),R² = 0.98, n= 54. Comparing two calculation methods, Stokes equation could be used to estimate the settling velocity, but the calculation result was more accurate using Mclaughlin method. The settling velocity of suspended matter estimated in Lake Taihu ranged from 0.002 cm/s to 0.005 cm/s.