In the process of transportation and laying, the submarine cable will inevitably be twisted. If the twisting angle is too large, it will cause irreparable damage for the submarine cable. In this paper, a torsion model of submarine cable was established by finite element method, and the characteristic parameters that can effectively reflect the mechanical characteristics of submarine cable were determined by analyzing the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of stress and strain. The threshold values of each characteristic parameter when torsion failure occured were established, and the mechanical parameter system that can represent the torsion behavior of submarine cable was established. The results show that the axial stress distribution of the submarine cable is more uniform at the initial stage of torsion. With the increase of torsion angle, the axial stress distribution of cable body will fluctuate. A parametric system including copper conductor stress, XLPE insulating layer stress, lead alloy stress, armor layer stress, and torsion angle can be established for parametric evaluation of submarine cable torsion behavior.