Transforming growth factor-beta-induced (TGFBI) serves as a linker protein and plays a role in the activation of morphogenesis, cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, differentiation and inflammation. High expression levels of the human TGFBI gene are correlated with numerous human malignancies. In order to explore the roles of TGFBI in the tumor progression of colorectal cancer, colorectal cancer specimens from 115 patients with strict follow-up were selected for the analysis of TGFBI by immunohistochemistry. The correlations between TGFBI expression and the clinicopathological features of colorectal cancers were evaluated. In the colorectal cancer tissues, TGFBI was mainly localized in the cytoplasm and stroma and scarcely in the nucleus. TGFBI expression in the cytoplasm and stroma was not found to be associated with age, gender, tumor histopathological grading, PT category and tumor location (P > 0.05 for each). However, high TGFBI expression in the cytoplasm and stroma correlated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and Dukes stage (P < 0.05 for each). The survival rate was significantly lower in patients with high TGFBI expression than in those with low TGFBI expression. Furthermore, we found that tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging (HR: 2.963; 95% CI: 1.573-1.664; P = 0.000), differentiation (HR: 1.574; 95% CI: 1.001-2.476; P = 0.049) and high TGFBI cytoplasmic expression (HR: 3.332; 95% CI: 1.410-7.873; P = 0.000) proved to be independent prognostic factors for survival in colorectal cancer. In conclusion, TGFBI plays an important role in the progression of colorectal cancers and it is an independent poor prognostic factor for colorectal cancer patients.