TiC and TiN were coated onto stainless steel by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. The four-point bending test was used to evaluate the mechanical Young’s moduli of TiC- and TiN-coated films. The X-ray method was successfully used to measure the residual stress in the coated films by the sin(2) phi method. The mechanical and X-ray values of Young’s modulus were determined for TIC and TIN films coated on the steels. It was found that this new measurement method of Young’s modulus for coated films is applicable in these cases. The mechanical Young’s moduli of the TIC and TiN films were 513 GPa and 251 GPa respectively. The X-ray Young’s moduli of the TiC and TiN films were 473 GPa and 273 GPa respectively. The residual stresses on the surfaces of films were compressive, and were -4.25 GPa and -2.34 GPa respectively.