The Sn 2+-doped SiO2-B2O3-Gd2O3-La2O3 glass is prepared in the reducing atmosphere and its density, absorption spectra, photoluminescence, fluorescence lifetime and radioluminescence excited by X-ray have been tested. The research results show that, in the SiO2-B2O3-La2O3 glass system, with the increase of Sn 2+concentration, the ultraviolet absorption cut-off wavelength is redshifted, and the photoluminescence intensity first increases and then decreases due to the concentration quenching effect, which reaches the maximum at Sn 2+ concentration of 0.3 %. With the replacement of La2O3 by Gd2O3, the glass density increases and the fluorescence lifetime of Sn 2+ gets shorter, but Gd 3+ does not show the sensitizing enhancement effect on Sn 2+. Under the X-ray excitation, the radioluminescence intensity of Sn 2+ increases with the increase of Gd2O3 concentration and does not decreases under the Gd 3+ concentration quenching effect, which indicates that maybe there exists the energy transfer between Gd 3+ and Sn 2+ under the X-ray excitation.