The invention relates to an yttrium oxide-tungsten gradient material, a preparation method of the yttrium oxide-tungsten gradient material, and application of the yttrium oxide-tungsten gradient material in manufacturing of a crucible for metal smelting. The gradient material comprises a yttrium oxide layer and a plurality of transition layers. The volume fractions of yttrium oxide and tungsten in the m transition layer are calculated according to formulas (please see the specification for the formulas), wherein CYm and CWm are the volume fractions of yttrium oxide and tungsten in the m transition layer correspondingly, m is a natural number from 1 to (n-1), l is the total thickness of the multiple transition layers, n is the total number of the yttrium oxide layer and the transition layers and is equal to or greater than three, Hi is the thickness of the i layer, and Hm is the thickness of the m transition layer. The preparation method comprises the steps that required tungsten powder and yttrium oxide powder are weighed; and the corresponding layers are laid in a die through the powder, and forming and sintering are conducted. The invention further provides the application of the gradient material in manufacturing of the crucible for metal smelting. The gradient material has a good capacity to resist alloy melt corrosion and good thermal shock resistance and can be widely used for high-temperature alloy smelting; and the method is simple in process, easy to operate and low in energy consumption.