Compared with artificial Portland cement （APC）， the effect of triethanolamine （TEA） on the hydration process and sulfate balance of metakaolin blended cement （MKC） with two types of sulfate carriers （anhydrite and hemihydrate） was investigated. The results show that without the addition of TEA， the incorporation of MK in APC retards the hydration process and stimulates the depletion of sulfate carriers. Different sulfate carriers show similar effects. However， TEA can significantly accelerate the hydration of the aluminate phase and increase the needed amount of sulfate carriers to keep the sulfate balance. Meanwhile， the types of sulfate carriers significantly affect the hydration and sulfate balance. The most suitable sulfate carrier for maintaining the sulfate balance of APC and MKC is anhydrite and hemihydrate， respectively. This phenomenon is related to the dynamic balance of sulfate ions in dissolution-adsorption-precipitation.