Objective To investigate the correlation between mechanical properties and hemostatic ability of the sealing hydrogels. Methods The gelation time, elastic modulus, viscous modulus, bursting strength and hemostatic ability of the hyaluronic acid/gelatin hydrogels were measured. Compared with fibrin sealant, gelation time and mechanical parameters were proposed to judge the feasibility of sealing hydrogels to be used for hemostasis in clinic. Results Hydrogels with a long gelation time, low elastic modulus, low viscous modulus and small bursting strength were merely suitable for hemostasis in minor bleeding. The hydrogels with short gelation time, high elastic and viscous modulus and large bursting strength could effectively reduce the blood loss in the cases of massive bleeding. Conclusions The hemostatic ability of a hydrogel was correlated to its gelation time, elastic modulus, viscous modulus and bursting strength. To achieve hemostasis as effective as fibrin sealant, the gelation time of a sealing hydrogel should be less than 120 s, its elastic and viscous modulus should exceed 600 Pa and 120 Pa, respectively. For the damage with diameter of 2 mm in the tissue model, the burst strength should exceed 10.7 kPa and preferably be larger than 16.0 kPa.