This paper measures the international gap of industrial innovation capacity through expert survey method. By selecting proper samples and anchoring vignettes, we improve the reliability of the result of the expert survey method. Then, we apply the expert survey method in the IC design industry in China and US. The survey provides the subjective opinions of expert groups on the industrial innovation output and capacity. It also concludes that the gap of IC industrial innovation capacity between China and US is 40 months at that time. By comparing the innovation environments in China and US, policy implications are drawn from the survey. The expert survey method offers a complementary view to the tradition methods of innovation capacity measurement.