Among the thermal error sources of the high accuracy and efficiency machine tools, the thermal errors induced by the heat generated from running high speed motorized spindle is the crucial one. A new thermal error control method for motorized spindle is suggested, which is based on the thermal deformation balance principle. The essential idea of the method is to utilize the thermal contraction of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) to restrain the thermal elongation of metal spindle housing. In the designed control system, the CFRP bars are uniformly distributed around the spindle housing, and the ThermoElectric Modules (TEMs) works as the heat pump which transfers the heat from spindle housing to CFRP bar. The experimental and numerical simulation results show that the suggested approach reduces 97% thermal displacement compared with the motorized spindle without the suggested thermal error control system. It is expected that the suggested method can also be applied to thermal error control for various cylindrical high-precision parts including aerospace equipment, optics and optical instruments. Display omitted •The thermal error control system (TECS) for motorized spindle is designed.•The thermal contraction of CFRP restrains the thermal elongation of metal.•The TECS is based on the thermal deformation balance principle.•The effectiveness of TECS is validated by the experimental and FEM results.