When EPB shields are used in sandy cobble ground, problems such as abnormal wearing of the cutterhead and cutting tools, cutterhead clogging and ground surface settlement may occur. In the paper, study is made on the optimized design of EPB shields on basis of lessons learnt in the sandy cobble ground in Chengdu and Beijing. The EPB shields are optimized in terms of cutterhead and cutting tools, screw conveyor, soil conditioning and grouting control. In the end, optimized design of EPB shields for sandy cobble ground are proposed. The paper can provide reference for the design of EPB shields for similar grounds in the future.