A voltammetric anodic dissolution ( VAD) technique was used to quantify disruption and fault levels in nickel deposits on a copper substrate. This technique was based on a comparison of the charge passivation densities of the substrate with and without coating. The chosen system was electrolytic nickel coating on copper substrate, applied from a commercial Watts bath without additives under galvanostatic conditions. The results show the VAD technique to be useful in detecting variations in coating porosity and discontinuities caused by different applied deposition currents and charge densities. A minimum of porosity level was also detected in coating thicknesses obtained at a charge density of about 1200 mC cm(-2). With higher deposition charge densities, a coating fragmentation process ( disruption) generating spheric- like particles was observed.