Ceramic suspensions composed of alumina and mixtures of alumina and zirconia powders in ethyl alcohol were prepared. A solution of citric acid and triethylamine was used as dispersant. The citric acid, which usually is used as dispersant in water alumina suspensions, gave excellent results in ethyl alcohol also if it was used in conjunction with triethylamine. A novel method consisting of combined measurements of grain size, zeta potential, and transmittance was optimized to study the dispersion and stability properties of the ceramic suspensions; by using this method the optimal dispersant amount was determined. The suspensions based on alumina and alumina-zirconia powders were used to coat stainless steel plates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD); the optimal composition of suspensions and the used EPD parameters made it possible to obtain coatings with uniform thickness and composition. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.