Abstract: The features and affecting faetors of cracking for the coatings of stainless steel electrocds are analyzed in the paper. The results obtained from experiment show that the coatings of stainless steel electrodes universally beeomc red when temperature rises.The cracking tendency of electrode coatings is related to the metal transfer characteristics of electrodes and the deformational behavior of electrode coatings as temperature rising. The eracking tendeney of electrode coatings as temperature rising will be controlled effectively by realizing the flux-wall to guid transfer form of metal droplet and by improving the plastie deformation of eoating.