A method for implementing flow control in a switch fabric includes: sending, by each input port, request information to a destination output port where no packet congestion occurs; according to respective back pressure information, determining, by the destination output port which receives the request information, whether to return grant information to each input port to establish a matching relationship between each input port and the destination output port which returns the grant information; according to the matching relationship, scheduling, by each input port, a cell to a destination output port that is matched with each input port. Through the embodiments of the present invention, quantity of information transmitted between an input port and an output port is reduced, the design of the switch fabric is simplified, and data processing efficiency in the switch fabric is improved.