The DNA repair genes have been indicated as candidates in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Published data on the association between X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3), a critical member of the DNA repair genes, and HCC risk were contradictory. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism on HCC risk by pooling available data from published case-control studies. We calculated the pooled odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) to estimate the effect. Based on the inclusion criteria, six individual studies with 2,288 cases and 3,170 controls were included into our study. Overall, significant association between the XRCC3 Thr241Met variant and HCC risk was observed under the following contrast models (ORMet vs. Thr = 1.68, 95 %CI 1.08-2.62; ORMetMet vs. ThrThr = 5.54, 95 %CI 3.09-9.94; ORMetMet vs. ThrThr + ThrMet = 5.70, 95 % CI 4.24-7.64). Besides, the pooled ORs indicated that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism exerted risk effect on the HCC pathogenesis among Asians. Additionally, when stratifying by the status of smoking and hepatitis B virus infection, the XRCC3 Thr241Met variant was significantly associated with HCC risk among the HBsAg (+) individuals but not the HBsAg (-) individuals, smokers, and non-smokers. The present meta-analysis suggests that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is an independent risk factor for HCC, particularly among Asians and the HBsAg (+) individuals.