The stability of SiC coating in helium with a low concentration of O-2, CO2 and H2O is a key factor for their application in improvement of oxidation resistance of graphite for high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs). Through thermodynamic analysis, it is found that the influence factor controlling the critical temperature of passive oxidation for SiC is partial pressure of active gas in helium: the critical temperature of passive oxidation for SiC increases with the partial pressure of O-2, CO2 and H2O, SiC is prone to undergo active oxidation in He-CO2 and He-H2O system. SiO2/SiC multilaver coating can improve the oxidation resistance of graphite at higher temperature than SiC coating does under normal operation condition for HTGRs. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.