To obtain a heat-sensitive recording material excellent in storage stability of a colored image by adding a metal salt of a specific compound to a heat-sensitive recording material containing an electron donative coloring compound and an electron-accepting compound.

This heat-sensitive recording material contains a metal salt of a compound of formula I (X1 to X4 are each H, a halogen, an alkyl, an alkoxy, nitro or acetoacetylamino; R is an alkyl or an aryl). For example, acetoacetic acid anilide or 2'-methylacetoacetic acid anilide may be cited as the compound of formula I. The compound of formula I, for example, the compound in which R is methyl is obtained by treating an aniline derivative with a diketene. The metal of the metal salt of the compound of formula I is Na, K, Li, etc. The amount of the metal salt of the compound of formula I used is 1-200 pts.wt., especially about 5-120 pts.wt. based on 100 pts.wt. of an electron donative coloring compound. A fluoran-based compound of formula II (A and B are each an alkyl, a cycloalkyl, etc.; Z1 is H, an alkyl, etc.; Z2 and Z3 are each H, an alkyl, CF3, etc.) is preferable as the electron donative coloring compound.