In this paper, residual stresses of the Ni-Cr-B-Si coatings prepared by supersonic plasma spray processing were measured by moire interferometry and X-ray diffraction method. Moire interferometry method was used in measuring the distribution of residual stresses of the Ni-Cr-B-Si coatings alongside the specimen thickness direction, then the distribution of residual stresses both in the substrate and the coating was also analyzed. Experimental results showed that residual stresses in the coating and the substrate are tensile and compressive separately; residual stresses of the coating are diminished with the increase of the distance from the coating surface and almost zero at the coating-substrate interface; the maximum of compressive residual stresses of the substrate are present to the vicinity of the coating-substrate interface. It could be concluded that residual stresses in the specimen would result from the dismatch of thermophysical properties between the coating and substrate during the spray process, and the distribution of residual stresses of the substrate would be influenced by the sandblasting prior to spraying. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.