Four kinds of Fe-Cr based alloys were investigated in this paper. The thermal expansion coefficients of the four samples at 900 degrees C were between 11 and 13 x 10(-6) cm cm(-1) K-1. The coefficient of sample Fe-Cr-4 was close to that of yttrium stabled zirconia (YSZ). Compared with traditional alloys, the new type of Fe-Cr based alloys had decreased thermal expansion coefficients. With the increase of oxidation time, the weight gains of Fe-Cr-1 and -4 tended to be stable. The oxide scale of 3Cr(2)O(3)center dot Fe2O3 formed on the surface of Fe-Cr-1 and -4 was inactive and helpful to restrain the samples from internal oxidation. But the FeCr2O4 and Cr1.3Fe0.7O3 formed on the surface of Fe-Cr-2 and -3 had no such effective restraint mechanism. Fe-Cr-1 and -4 exhibited better oxidation resistance than Fe-Cr-2 and -3. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.